The Deona Crystal
by Realmlife
Summary: The children search for a Crystal to show them the way home, but things have a habit of not going according to plan in the Realm. There is quite a bit of H/S in this, and a hint of E/D, so be warned. I don't own the D&D cartoon, I'm doing this for fun.
1. Chapter 1: Déjà Vu

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 1 - Déjà Vu**

Hank could not shake off the feeling of déjà vu. He knew they had never been in the valley before, but somehow it seemed familiar - and the further they walked, the more uneasy he felt. Even though the Realm's four suns were almost directly overhead, the path they were travelling along was in the shadow of the tall cliffs running along each side of the narrow pass, which was not helping the feeling. He glanced round at his surroundings and frowned. He had been on edge for the last few days, but today was different. Something was going to happen, and somehow he was sure he should know what that something was. He shook his head, looked around again and realised that he had almost come to a standstill.

The others were a short distance ahead, Bobby and Uni in the lead with Eric and Presto just behind them. The two girls were a little way behind them and appeared to be totally absorbed in their conversation. Hank wondered what they could be discussing so intently, and was still watching them when the Thief briefly glanced over her shoulder and looked in his direction. He smiled and then, pushing the thoughts that were troubling him to the back of his mind, quickened his pace the catch up with his friends.

"How much further?" came from a shout from ahead.

"I don't know, Eric," Hank groaned. "Dungeonmaster just said we should get to Letion before nightfall."

"We've been walking for hours and… Hey watch it, short stuff."

Eric ploughed into the Barbarian who had stopped to stare at the sight in front of them. The others stopped just behind them and gazed at what they had found.

"Wow," whispered Sheila.

"What is it?" asked Presto, looking at Hank.

"Whatever it is, what's it doing here?" Diana wondered aloud.

A short distance ahead was a large pure white archway, completely blocking the path, with the only way to proceed being through the centre. Within the arch a thick mist was swirling and, as they watched, the mist slowly changed colour from a deep purple to blue and then to green before gradually changing back again.

"It's a gateway, obviously," Eric proclaimed proudly.

"It still doesn't explain what it's doing here, Captain Shiny!" Diana retorted. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, erm … I mean it's here because, erm…" He glared at the Acrobat, who grinned back at him before bursting into laughter with Bobby and Presto.

"Knock it off, you two!" Hank snapped. He was still on edge and was in no mood for more of their bickering.

He glared at the mysterious archway. There was a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that he should know exactly what it was, but that didn't make sense. He had never seen it before, so how he could know anything about it?

"I wonder what's on the other side," Sheila muttered.

"Maybe it's a portal home?" Bobby answered hopefully.

The Thief looked at her brother and smiled before resting a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe, Bobby, maybe."

"Yeah, because an unguarded portal in the middle of nowhere must be a way home," Eric said bitingly.

"Ever the optimist, Cavalier!" replied Diana.

"Well, it could be," Bobby said.

"Meah!" Uni added.

The Barbarian and his unicorn began moving towards the archway.

"Careful, Bobby! We don't know if it is a portal!" Sheila cried, quickly following them, along with Hank and Presto.

Diana glared at Eric.

"What?" he asked. "Don't tell me you think it really is a portal home!"

"Of course I don't!" she snapped back. "Just give the kid a break."

She ran after the others leaving Eric to skulk behind.

They all stopped on the smooth stone platform a short distance from the strange archway and stared. They were now out of the shadow from the cliffs and the full force of the Realm's suns could be felt. Sheila reached for the water pouch at her side and took a quick sip before wiping her brow with the back of her hand.

"What do we do now Hank?" she asked. "Should we go through?"

"I'm not sure, it's not like any portal we've …"

He broke off. He had been about to say they had never seen anything like this before, but the vague feeling from before was back. He'd seen this archway before, but he had no idea when, or how, or why no one else seemed to recognise it.

"Hank, what it is?" Presto queried as he turned towards him.

"I'm not sure."

He frowned. He was now feeling more uneasy than ever when a shrill cry was heard from overhead.

"Get down!" he yelled.

They all dived to the ground, and not a moment too soon. The creature that swooped down towards them was unlike anything they had ever come across before. It was the size of a large bird and had razor sharp talons to match, but instead of feathers, it had fur, and its head resembled that of a dragon. The talons only just missed the Acrobat, and as the creature cried out in frustration, a bolt of energy shot from its mouth towards Presto.

Eric reacted instantly, deflecting the shot away from the Magician. Instead, it struck the side of the mysterious archway. The mist within glowed red for a moment and then returned to its cycle from before. The creature then spun around for a second attempt, but Hank was ready with his bow. He fired a volley of arrows towards it, and it retreated momentarily.

"Look out!" Presto shouted.

Their attacker was no longer alone; there were now another five of the bird like creatures to contend with.

"Take that!" Bobby yelled, swinging his club at one of them as it made for Uni.

A second one headed for the Cavalier and crashed into his shield. Sheila reached for her hood and disappeared as one aimed an energy ray at her. Diana used her staff to vault out of reach of another, with the last two heading for the Ranger as he fired more arrows in quick succession.

The creatures were unrelenting. They avoided Hank's arrows with ease and were driving the children closer and closer to the mist within the archway.

"Hank, it's no good! We can't hold them off much longer!" the Acrobat called. "We'll have to go through."

The Ranger assessed their current situation. Diana was right; they were losing the battle and were fast running out of options. He could see Presto was bleeding from a small cut on his forehead, Eric by his side protecting them both with his shield. The Thief was nowhere to be seen. Bobby was desperately trying to defend Uni from the creatures with his club. Diana only narrowly missed another energy bolt and was clearly starting to get tired.

"OK," he agreed, ignoring the voice in the back of his head screaming at him that this was a bad idea. "Let's go!"

The Thief, still hidden beneath her cloak, was nearest to the entrance, and she hurriedly moved forward. She paused for a second at the entrance, then took a small step forward. Hank turned his head and saw a bright flash, heard her scream, and then watched in horror as the mist suddenly transformed into a torrent of flames.

"SHEILA!"


	2. Chapter 2: Final Warning

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 2 – ****Final Warning**

"SHEILA!"

Hank sat bolt upright, his eyes opened wide, breathing hard andhe was visibly shaking.

The Thief, having been woken by his shout, was by his side in an instant.

"Hank, what is it?" She placed a hand on his arm and could feel him trembling.

"Sheila?"

He turned to face her and found himself staring into her anxious eyes. He reached forward and pulled her to him, clutching her tightly, not daring to let go.

"Not again! Not again!" he murmured.

Sheila, surprised by his actions, but not wanting to pull away, slipped her arms around him and held him until she heard his breathing ease and he had stopped shivering.

"Hank?" she asked tentatively, "what happened?"

That was Sheila's voice. It was OK, he had been dreaming, it hadn't been real, she was safe, safe and in his arms. He knew he had to let her go, but holding her felt so good, so right, and surrendering his grip on her would then mean having to tell her he had been having a bad dream. He felt he was too old to be having nightmares, and he definitely shouldn't be waking up from one screaming, but he didn't have a choice, he had to give her an explanation.

Reluctantly, he released her and she sat back a little, but still kept her hand in contact with him.

"It was just a dream," he replied. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me. What was it about?"

"I…." already the details were rapidly slipping away, he shook his head, "I'm not sure. There was a doorway of some kind and you …"

He paused. He remembered that she had stepped through the doorway, that something had then happened to her, but it was gone. He felt ridiculous. First he had woken her with his shouting, and now he couldn't even remember what it had been about.

"You stepped through and I can't remember what happened after that," he admitted awkwardly.

She looked at him, knowing that there was something he was not telling her, but, sensing his discomfort, decided not the press to point.

"What did you mean when you kept saying not again?" she asked.

He didn't want to answer her, but the determined look on her face, convinced him that he could not avoid the question.

"I've woken up like this for the last two mornings," he finally said with a sigh. "I can't be sure, but I think it's the same dream."

She stared at him; her eyes wide, worry clearly reflected in them. "Do you think it means something?"

If it had been anyone else asking, he would have snapped back at them, but not her; one look at her and his anger dissolved.

"I don't know," he said softly, and then seeing the concern in her face, he added with a smile, "I don't think so."

They both turned at a noise from behind them. Diana and Presto were moving around the makeshift camp and the sound they had heard had been the yell of complaint from Eric as Presto had knelt on him while searching for his glasses.

"Hey, watch what you're doing!"

"Sorry," Presto mumbled, hurriedly placing on the glasses that the Acrobat handed him.

Hank stood and helped the Thief to her feet before the pair wondered over to where the others were now rising.

The camp was now a buzz of early morning activity. The last of the suns had just appeared over the horizon, and only Eric was still lying on the ground.

"Come on Cavalier, move it, or you forfeit breakfast," Diana joked, nudging him with her foot.

"What's the rush," he complained. "It's not like we're going anywhere."

On this point he was right. They had been camped at the edge of the woods for two days now awaiting the appearance of their guide.

"That still doesn't give you an excuse to sleep all day," she quipped.

"Oh let him sleep," Hank said. He could use the peace that leaving Eric to doze would give.

Diana looked at him in surprise, but said no more and moved over to where Presto and Bobby were diving into a delicious smelling breakfast. It seemed the hat was in a co-operative mood this morning.

Of course, giving the Cavalier permission to lie in had the opposite effect, and he was fast on his feetdemanding his share.

Sheila giggled.

"Did you know that would happen?" she asked the Ranger.

"No, but if it keeps him quiet!" He grinned. "Come on; let's grab some food before Bobby and Eric get it all.

Hank and Sheila joined the others and silence reigned for a short while. It was the Magician who spoke first.

"Do you think we will see Dungeonmaster today?"

"Who knows," the Cavalier replied, "then again, who cares? It's …"

"ERIC!" the Acrobat cut him off. "It's not Dungeonmasters fault that we got to the meeting point so quickly."

"Yeah, it would have taken us weeks to get here if we had walked," Bobby added.

"Meah, meeks," Uni agreed.

"Not weeks Bobby," Hank corrected, "only a few days."

"I'm still glad we got a ride," the Barbarian declared.

They had been fortunate enough to meet with a group of people heading in the same direction, who, on recognising them as Dungeonmasters pupils, had insisted that they travel with them, making use of their spare horses. While saving them a great deal of walking, it meant they had arrived at their current location much earlier than expected, which left them with only one problem.

"I'm bored," Eric moaned.

"Would you rather we had a few Orcs to keep you entertained!" Diana asked him.

"Or Lizardmen!" the Thief added.

"Or maybe a Bullywug or two!" Presto continued.

"OK, OK. So being bored has its advantages," Eric admitted. He lay back and closed his eyes. "Wake me up if his shortness decides to make an appearance."

The day continued in that way; there would be short bursts of general conversation or laugher, but in the main it appeared they were all content with making the most of an opportunity to relax. The only exception being the Acrobat and Eric who, when they were not throwing a variety of objects at one another, were instead, trading insults.

--X--

The small boy was close to the waters edge. He had only a wooden sword, but was doing battle with a fierce dragon. He lunged forward, stabbed the dragon with his sword and it crashed to the ground with a scream. The dragon was dead.

At least, that was what happened in the child's mind. The 'dragon' was in reality a dead tree, but that didn't matter to him. He had played this game hundreds of times, it was his favourite; one day he would have a real sword and fight real dragons.

The boy turned away from the 'dead dragon' and stopped. He had noticed something in the stream, about the size of a peach stone, surrounded by a soft glowing light. He bent down to take a closer look. It was deep orange in colour, completely smooth and was a perfect sphere. As his fingers closed on the stone, he was confronted with the image of a young knight in full armour.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The knight didn't answer.

The boy stared at the knight, and then suddenly realised that it was an older version of himself. He looked back at the stone in his hand.

"Wow, it tells the future!" he exclaimed and grinned.

He pocketed the stone and sprinted towards the place he called home.

Elsewhere, a woman with deep blue eyes and long black hair clutched at the table to prevent herself from falling. She had been overcome with an unexpected wave of dizziness, before feeling an equally inexplicable sense of excitement. Just as suddenly, the sensation passed. She paused briefly to wonder what could have caused such a reaction, and then returned to her work, not giving it a second thought.

--X--

The light was starting to fade and there was still no sign of their guide. Diana and the Cavalier were engaged in another battle of words, having been ordered by the Ranger to stop throwing things around after the last handful of berries the Acrobat had intended for Eric, had hit Sheila instead. Presto was listening to their exchange and found he was amazed at the number of ways of insulting each other they seemed to be able to find. Bobby walked nearer to where the two were battling and sniggered. Sheila, who had been resolutely ignoring them so far turned her head, and on hearing some of the extreme things being said, jumped up and ran over.

"This ends now!" She did not raise her voice, she didn't have to; there was no doubting that the Thief was serious.

The two of them were too shocked to respond and Hank and Presto remained motionless, watching the scene is surprise.

"Aww Sis, it was just getting interesting," Bobby complained.

She turned to face him, and he visibly wilted under her stern gaze.

"Don't you EVER let me catch you repeating anything you just heard, got it?" she warned. "And you two, if you really have nothing better to do, at least keep it clean!"

She spun round and nearly walked straight into…

"DUNGEONMASTER" cried Bobby.

"Greetings, my pupils"

"About time you showed up," Eric remarked, and was rewarded for the comment with a nudge in the ribs from Diana's elbow.

Hank and Presto sped over and Dungeonmaster waited until they were all gathered round.

"I'm sorry you have been kept waiting." He looked pointedly at the Cavalier, "but I bring you important news. The Deona Crystal has been discovered near by and it may show one of you the way home."

"What's the Deona Crystal?" asked the Magician.

"It is a powerful jewel, which had been lost for centuries; many believed it had been destroyed."

Hank noted the expression on the wizard's face as he said this and had the distinct impression that Dungeonmaster thought it may have been better if the crystal had stayed lost.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but, who is this Deona, and what does her crystal actually do?" Eric asked with a sarcastic frown.

"Deona was an accomplished Sorceress, Cavalier," the mage replied.

He waved his hand and presented them with the image of a tall slender young woman. She had long, dark, waist length hair and wore midnight blue robes, which emphasised the deep blue of her eyes. Around her neck, on a silver chain, was a pale light. Within the depths of the light they could just make out a circular orange crystal. Dungeonmaster waved his hand again and the image of the woman vanished.

"Many years ago she created a gemstone which has the ability to show a person that which they most desire."

"So it can show us the way home," Bobby cried excitedly.

"Only if that is your greatest wish Barbarian. However, I should warn you; if you chose to search for the crystal, you will find a dangerous path ahead. Few comprehend the limits of the crystals power. Already those who do not truly understand its magic are seeking it for themselves and will do anything to ensure they reach it first."

"We have to try Dungeonmaster," the Ranger responded. "Can you tell us where to start looking?"

"It rests a days journey from here in the east, at Letion," he paused, then added. "Be cautious my pupils, the crystal chose to be found. It may even try to show you the journey you must take to reach it. It wants to be used, but you may not see what you expect if you touch the gemstone."

They looked at one another in confusion. Sheila was thinking about what their guide had just told them and glanced at Hank.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric asked, looking back at the spot where Dungeonmaster had stood, which was now empty.

"Why am I not surprised," he sighed.

"How about we head off in the morning," the Ranger suggested. The suns had already begun to set and the others readily agreed.

"I'll just get some more wood for the fire," he added.

The others began preparing for a last night in the camp. Sheila instead followed Hank; she wanted to talk to him about what had happened earlier without the others around. She soon caught up with the Ranger.

"Hank, do you think you will have that dream again tonight?"

"I hope not," he replied.

"It's just Dungeonmaster said the crystal might be trying to show us the way, so I was wondering if the dreams..." she stopped, not quite sure what it was she was trying to say.

Hank stopped and turned to face her. If his dreams were linked to the crystal, then that meant something bad was going to happen to Sheila when they reached Letion. But if the crystal was trying to tell him something while he slept, then why couldn't he remember it?

"You said in your dream that I went through a door," she continued.

"I know, but then I can't remember anything else," he said, clearly frustrated. "Why can't I remember? Terri could."

The Ranger was thinking back to the time they had met the girl from their own world, whose ability to see the future in her dreams had proved very useful.

"Not always," Sheila replied thoughtfully, "sometimes, she only remembered them at the last minute. You'll remember when you need to, I know you will."

"I hope your right." He couldn't bare the thought that something might happen to her, and that the knowledge he needed to prevent it was just out of his grasp.

"Hank, if you do have the dream again, you will tell me everything you remember as soon as you wake up, won't you?"

He didn't reply, he didn't want to frighten her.

"Hank, please!" she was staring straight into his eyes. "Promise me!"

He still didn't want to tell her, but as he gazed at her, he found he could not deny her request, "OK, I promise."

She smiled. "I guess we should get some wood before the others send out a search party."

He smiled back at her and the two of them set about gathering some fuel for the fire. They soon joined the others and before long they had all settled down for the night. Sheila made sure she was closest to Hank so that she would hear him if he did have another nightmare. One by one, they fell asleep until only Hank lay awake. He stayed awake for several hours until eventually; he could no longer keep his eyes open. The next thing he knew, he was walking through a valley with a feeling of déjà vu.

--X--

Sheila woke first and sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. She looked around the camp, noted that the others were still sleeping and then turned to look at the Ranger. At first glance, he too appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but as she watched, she realised that he was dreaming, and it did not appear to be a pleasant dream. She moved to his side and was about to place her hand on his shoulder to wake him, when she realised that it was probably The Dream, so she forced herself not to disturb him and instead, she waited. She hated having to watch helplessly as the Ranger tossed and turned, and just as she thought she could bare it no longer, he was suddenly wide awake; in much the same state he has been the previous morning.

"SHEILA!"

The Thief immediately moved closer to him and put her arms around him. "It's OK" she whispered, "it's only a dream, it's OK."

He held her tightly in return and focused his efforts on trying to breathe normally.

"Hank, you have to tell me what you remember," she said gently, pulling away slightly.

The Ranger took a deep breath, "Just a minute, I need a few minutes first."

She nearly agreed, but she knew the longer he remained silent, the less he would be then able to recall.

"Hank, you have to tell me now, while you can still can," she pleaded.

"We were under attack," he gasped. "There was a doorway. You went through it and …Sheila, you mustn't go through that door."

"What happens if I do?" she forced herself to ask.

"There was a flash. It might have been an explosion. I …" He covered his face with his hands. "Damn!"

Sheila took his hands in hers and gently pulled them back from his face, "Hank?"

"I'm sorry Sheila, I don't know." He lifted his head to look at her. "Why can't I remember!"

She gazed back at him, trying to hide her fear. "You don't remember anything else, nothing at all?" she asked shakily.

He closed his eyes tightly and concentrated on trying to recollect any further details.

"The doorway was white… I think." He paused. "And there was a black mark on one side of it."

He opened his eyes and gently brushed her cheek with his hand, "I'm sorry."

It was her turn to take a deep breath, "It's OK Hank. At least we have something more to go on."

"It's not much though," he added with a sigh. "Do you think we should tell the others about this?"

"No" she said after a pause. "Like you said, there's not a lot we can tell them. I guess I'd better make sure I don't go through any strange white doors when we get to Letion, right!"

"Sheila, this is serious, I don't want you getting hurt," …_or worse_, he added to himself.

"I know," she gave him a small smile. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"We had better wake the others," he said, needing to think about something other than That Dream and the thought that something might happen to the Thief. "We don't know how far it is to Letion, so we should get moving as soon as possible."

They roused the rest of the group, and after the usual complaining from Eric, they were soon heading east. Hank led the way; Bobby and Uni followed a short distance behind; Sheila was talking to Presto just behind them and bringing up the rear, were Diana and Eric, engaged in yet another put down competition.

They were soon clear of the forest and found themselves entering a valley with tall cliffs on either side. Hank began to slow down. Every so often he would stop, look at their surroundings, shake his head, and then continue walking. He was starting to feel uneasy, and guessed that was down to worrying about what might happen to Sheila when they reached their destination. He couldn't let anything happen to her, he just couldn't!

--X--

**Author's notes: **

A big thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me with this so far; especially Sealgirl, Rana Kane and Collette Rivers.

Also, a special note of thanks to Kimmy Kenderton, who got me started with this in the first place.


	3. Chapter 3: The Fire Gate

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 3 - The Fire-Gate**

Venger surveyed his latest creation. He had been forced to use a considerable amount of energy in its construction, but it would be worth it, he wanted that crystal, he needed it. He had been aware of its re-appearance the instant it had been used. Unfortunately, there were urgent matters elsewhere, which needed his personal attention. The inhabitants of Tremati had defied him for the last time. He would make sure that they would not be able to do so again.

Finding the gemstone would take time, time he didn't have right now. He knew that Dungeonmaster would be sure to send his pupils in search of the crystal, so he had created a barrier along the road they would take, preventing anyone from entering, or leaving Letion. This way, he was assured of being able to retrieve the crystal at his leisure, and those children would not be able to interfere.

He was astride his nightmare, hovering above the path. The fire-gate was brilliant in its simplicity. The mist swirling within its depths should be enough to deter the inhabitants of Letion from stepping through; any who were foolish enough to try, would meet with a fiery end. The six young ones would be a different matter. They would undoubtedly be cautious, he could expect no less. Therefore, he had deliberately chosen to place the gateway in an area where Tereans were known to hunt. These bird type creatures were relentless once they had their prey in sight. The children would not have the luxury of hanging around. They would either step into his little trap, or be destroyed by the Tereans; either way, they would not reach Letion and the crystal would be his.

He appraised his fire-gate one last time, and then turned his mount towards his next destination. The people of Tremati would soon feel his wrath.

--X--

The group had been walking for several hours when Hank stopped.

"How about an early lunch?" he suggested.

"Great, I'm starving," the Barbarian shouted.

"When are you ever not hungry," his sister asked, with a laugh.

"I'm usually OK just after dinner," he replied seriously.

She gave a mock cry of despair. "I give up!"

They settled down for a short break, glad of the rest after the morning's long walk. Diana and Eric had ended their insult competition, at least for a while, and they ate quietly. However, it was cool in the shadow of the cliffs and they soon started to feel the chill.

"I guess we should get moving," the Ranger suggested, and was met with general mutters of approval.

They set off again along the narrow path, this time with Bobby and his unicorn at the front, the Cavalier and Magician next, followed by the two girls, with the Ranger trailing behind. Diana and Sheila were engrossed in their conversation.

"You shouldn't encourage him," the redhead was saying.

"Encourage him!" Diana stole a quick glance at her companion.

"Yes, and don't tell me your not, because I won't believe you," the Thief replied.

"Why would I encourage him? He's insufferable."

Sheila waited for her friend to continue.

"I mean, have you ever known anyone like him? He's only happy when he's complaining."

"Or fighting with you," Sheila added with a smile.

"I'm NOT encouraging him!" The Acrobat paused, and then added with a sly grin, "not like you and a certain Ranger?"

Sheila flushed and glanced round, relived to see the Ranger was too far behind to hear.

"You promised not to say anything," she hissed.

"No, I promised not to tell anyone else," Diana whispered back, a playful glint in her eyes.

"OK, truce. Can we talk about something else," Sheila pleaded, her face still red.

Diana looked at her and gave her a friendly laugh.

"Sure!"

--X--

The Realm's four suns were almost directly overhead when there was a shout from ahead.

"How much further?"

"I don't know Eric. Dungeonmaster just said we should get to Letion in a day," the Ranger called back.

"We've been walking for hours and…Hey watch it!"

Bobby had stopped and Eric, not looking where he was going, had walked into him.

"Wow," Sheila murmured.

"What is it?" asked the Magician.

"And what's it doing here?" Diana added.

"It's a gateway, obviously," Eric stated.

Ahead, trapped within the confines of a stone archway, was a thick mist, changing seamlessly through the spectrum from green to violet then back to green. The structure was so large, it completely blocked the path and the only way to continue was through the formidable haze.

"Maybe it's a portal home," the Barbarian said.

"Maybe Bobby, maybe," the Thief replied with a smile.

"Yeah, because an unguarded portal in the middle of nowhere must be a way home," Eric snapped

The Barbarian ignored the Cavalier, and instead, he and Uni sprinted off towards it.

"Careful Bobby! We don't know if it is a portal!" his sister cried, setting off after him. Hank and Presto quickly followed, leaving the Acrobat and Cavalier behind. Diana glared at Eric, promptly told him off for being mean to Bobby, and then headed after the others, leaving Eric to stare after her.

They all stopped again on the large step that led up to the strange entrance. Uni crept right up to the edge, where the mist was swirling and sniffed, then hurriedly retreated to hide behind the Barbarian's legs. The Thief wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she took a quick sip of water. She was feeling the effect of the heat from the Realms four suns after so long in the deep shadows of the valleys walls.

"Do you think we should go through?" she asked Hank.

"I don't know, it's …" he stared at the archway with a frown.

"What's wrong Hank?" Presto asked.

"I'm not sure." He frowned again. He had seen something like this before, but couldn't quite place where.

Suddenly from overhead, there came a horrible screech.

"Get down" Hank shouted.

Sharp talons narrowly missed the Acrobat as she dived to the floor. Instead, the winged creature fired a blast of energy at the Magician from its dragon like head. Inside the archway, the mist flashed red as the shot, deflected by Eric, connected with the left-hand pillar of the entrance. Their attacker turned, swooped back down towards them, and was met with a multitude of arrows from the Rangers bow.

As it temporarily retreated, Hank was able to get a better look at it. It had short black fur and was bird like in shape. At its neck, the fur became scales, which completely covered the creatures head.

"Look out!" Presto yelled.

The bird creature had returned, but there were now six of them to contend with.

The Barbarian swung his club wildly, as one headed for the little unicorn at his side. Another slammed into the Cavalier's shield, before crashing to the ground in a daze. Hank was rapidly firing arrows to fend off two more of the creatures and Sheila had vanished to prevent being hit by an energy ray from a fifth. The Acrobat avoided the last one with the aid of her staff, but only by a fraction.

They were getting closer and closer to the archway, and the creatures kept up the attack. The arrows from Hank's bow were definitely smaller now, he was getting tired. The Barbarian was still standing in front of Uni, using his club as a bat to deflect energy bolts away from the two of them. Sheila was still nowhere to be seen and the Acrobat was beginning to run out of energy. Eric was kneeling on the ground, next to the Magician, using his shield to cover them both. Presto had a small cut on his head; he could feel the blood trickling down the side of his face as he waved his hand over his hat, desperately trying to think of something to help.

Diana called out at Hank. "It's no good! We can't hold them off. We'll have to go through."

The Ranger knew that going through the archway would be a really bad idea, but they appeared to have run out of options.

"OK, let's go!"

The Thief hurriedly moved forward. She paused for a second at the entrance, still hidden beneath her cloak, then went to take another step forward. As she did so, she noticed the scorch mark where the deflected energy bolt had struck the left side of the arch. Her eyes widened - a black mark on a white doorway! She twisted round, felt herself falling, screamed and then everything went black.

Hank turned his head; saw a bright flash; heard Sheila's scream and could only watch, helpless, crying out her name, as the mist vanished to be replaced by a wall of flames.

Hank couldn't move. The noise of the battle was gone; he could no longer hear it. The only thing he could focus on was the fire within the archway. Now it was too late, the full details of his dream came flooding back. He had been warned, and still had not been able to save her. Instead he had given the order to step through the entrance, and Sheila had paid the price for his mistake. It was his fault - he had lost her.

The Cavalier realised something had gone terribly wrong when he felt the heat from the flames and looked round.

"Hank, get out of there!" he yelled.

The Ranger remained motionless, completely unaware of the danger he was in. Eric cursed under his breath, ran to his friend and shoved him to the ground.

"Presto. Do something!" he screamed.

The Magician said the first thing that came into his head.

"Hat we need help without delay, something big to chase these birds away."

The hat began to glow, and he let go of it with a yelp. A large blue and sliver dragon, about half the size of Tiamat was emerging from the opening. The six Tereans gave screeches of terror, creased their attack, and fled with the dragon zooming after them.

"Way to go, Presto!" Bobby shouted.

"Yeah, neat trick," Diana agreed.

Presto didn't respond. He was looking towards Eric and Hank. He had missed something; something bad; something really bad. The others turned to see what has distracted the Magician. Hank was sat facing the arch. The expression on his face could only be described as complete and utter despair. As they watched, the flames died down and the swirling mist re-appeared.

"What happened?" the Magician asked, not quite sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"I don't know," the Cavalier answered, "Hank?"

"Sheila," he whispered.

Diana walked slowly to the entrance, bent down and retrieved something from the ground.

"Where's Sheila?" the Barbarian asked.

The Acrobat turned to face them and held up what she had found - the chard remains of a water pouch.

Presto's face went white, "NO!"

They didn't move. They couldn't take in what must have happened.

Bobby suddenly darted forwards, his club raised above his head. "SHEILA!"

"BOBBY, NO!" screamed Diana. She lunged for him, but it was too late.

The Barbarian's club connected with the side of the archway with a crash. The mist once again changed to the deep red and the pillars began to crumble. Eric held his shield above his head. He concentrated as hard as he could on expanding its protection. He just managed to cover the entire step where they all stood as masonry rained down on them.

The mist, no longer trapped within its prison, slowly rolled over the shields force-field. Only Presto saw its effect beyond the protection of the shield. It incinerated everything it came into contact with. Trees and shrubs instantly disintegrated, and even the cliff walls were blackened as it touched them before the mist slowly dissipated. The path ahead was now clear, but the area surrounding the stone step had been completely destroyed.

The gateway had gone, but it had taken the Thief with it.

--X--


	4. Chapter 4: Arrival at Letion

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 4 – Arrival at Letion**

The small group remained on the stone step which held the ruins of the gateway. They didn't speak; there was nothing to be said. How could anyone have stepped through the entrance and survived? It was a question they were all asking themselves, but could not answer. Could Sheila's cloak have somehow protected her? If by some miracle she was still alive, then where was she? It was a long time before any of them moved or spoke. Finally, Presto broke the silence.

"What do we do now?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Eric, Diana and Uni looked up at the Magician.

"I guess we head to Letion," Eric answered.

"What's the point?" Hank snapped; his voice cold and flat.

"There's nothing we can do here Hank," Diana replied, "and Sheila wouldn't want us to give up."

The Ranger glared at her, but she was not focusing on him. Instead, she was staring over his shoulder. Hank turned his head to see what she was looking at. Bobby hadn't moved. He appeared not to have heard what had just been said, in fact, he didn't seem to be aware of anything around him. Uni was gently nudging his arm, and still the Barbarian remained motionless.

Hank walked over to Bobby and gently lifted him to his feet.

"Let's go," he whispered.

The boy offered no resistance and allowed Hank to lead him as they resumed their journey.

The Cavalier took the lead. He kept his pace slow, and Diana spotted him glancing round every so often to make sure his friends were still following. Behind him, Hank was walking alongside Bobby, and at the rear of the group were Diana, Presto and Uni.

The Magician and the Acrobat were walking silently, arm in arm. Diana kept going over it again and again, trying to find some flaw, but she had seen the flames within the gateway; had felt the heat they had generated, she had seen the remains of Sheila's water pouch. There was no way she could have survived coming into contact with anything from inside that arch, which left only one awful conclusion - her best friend was dead.

She could feel Presto's arm against her own and took some small comfort from the contact. As they walked, she found herself remembering some of the things she and the Thief had shared. The two had formed and unlikely friendship when they had started high school. Diana, confident, popular and outgoing had seemed to be the complete opposite from the quiet, retiring redhead, but from the day they had met, they had become firm friends. Sheila had started to come out of her shell, and both girls had enjoyed having someone they could confide in, each telling the other their secrets without fear of them being told.

The Acrobat thought back to their last conversation. She had been teasing the Thief about her feelings for Hank. _Oh, God, what must he be thinking_, she wondered, and glanced at the Ranger. He would be devastated; the pain he must be feeling would be like the heartache she had felt when she had lost Kosar.

She suddenly stopped walking with a jolt and gasped.

"Diana, what is it?" Pesto asked with concern.

"I… I'm OK," she said, and began walking again.

In that moment, she had realised something, something that deep down she had always known. She thought that she had loved Kosar, she really did. It had hurt when he had gone, but did that mean that she had been in love with him? If she was being completely honest with herself, she had to say, no. She had been attracted to him, had enjoyed the attention he had given her, he had, after all, practically worshipped her, and she had liked that feeling, who wouldn't. She had loved the way he treated her, the way he had made her feel special, but that was all; she hadn't loved him. It was all so confusing, and the one person that she would normally talk to was not there anymore. Diana blinked away the tears that had started to form and focused her eyes on the Ranger and Barbarian in front of her.

Bobby looked so lost, so vulnerable, so alone. She turned her attention to Hank. He was still holding Bobby's shoulder in his left hand, and in his right he was gripping his bow so tightly, that his knuckles had turned white. Diana had known Hank the longest, since she had been in kindergarten. She knew his feelings for Sheila had been more that just friendship, even though he had never once said anything, and her heart went out to him. She gave a small sigh, turned to look at Presto and gave his arm a slight squeeze, a gesture he returned with a forlorn smile.

--X--

The last of the Realm's suns was beginning to set when they reached a stream crossing the road. Eric stopped and allowed the others to catch up. Crossing the water would not be a problem, it was not very wide, and even Uni could make the jump across without getting wet. Beyond the stream, they could see a collection of buildings, which appeared to be a mixture of barns and stables, and there was a variety of animals in the surrounding fields.

"That can't be Letion, can it?" Eric asked.

"It looks like it's just a farm to me," Presto said.

They continued walking, and as they drew level with the first building, a small, dark haired boy ran out from behind it.

"Who are you?" he asked, and then looking at Eric, added, "Oh, are you a knight?"

Before Eric, or any of the others could respond, the child continued.

"Is it fun being a knight? Do you get to fight lots of monsters? Do you? Do you?"

Eric stared at the child, not quite sure how to deal with him. Diana took pity on him, stepped forward, bent down and addressed the boy.

"Hi, I'm Diana." She pointed to the Cavalier, "and that's Eric."

"Hello, I'm Jayan," he replied.

He peered at the rest of the group. Uni trotted towards him and his eyes widened.

"Is that a Unicorn?" he gasped, "I've only ever seen them in pictures."

"Yes, her name's Uni," the Acrobat told him.

"Meah," the little unicorn bleated.

She approached the boy and then allowed Jayan to gently stroke her head. Diana pointed out Presto, Hank and Bobby in turn, but only the Magician and the Ranger acknowledged the introduction.

"Do you know somewhere we can stay the night, Jayan?" Diana asked him.

"Sure, you can stay with us," he cried excitedly.

To Eric's surprise, the boy grabbed his hand and pulled. When he didn't move, Jayan looked up at him.

"Come on, it's this way."

The Cavalier allowed the boy to lead him, and the others followed behind. It seemed that Jayan had taken a particular liking to Eric, and Diana could hear him chattering about being a knight and asking the Cavalier lots of questions about his armour and his shield. She shook her head slightly, and gave a small smile. _Sheila would have liked him_, she thought wistfully.

They soon reached a small, single storey house and Jayan pushed open the door.

"Dad!" he called, "Dad, come and meet my new friends."

A tall man; who appeared to be in his mid-thirties came forward to greet them. He bore a strong resemblance to his small son, with the same dark hair and facial structure, and only their eyes were different, Jayan's being a deep blue, where his fathers were brown.

"Good-evening, and welcome to Letion," he said.

"This is Letion!" Eric exclaimed.

"Yes, Letion Plains to be precise," he informed them. "Not what you were expecting?"

"I… I'm sorry," the Cavalier stammered, not sure what to say.

"We though Letion was the name of a town," Diana explained.

The man nodded, but gave them a warm, friendly smile and introduced himself as Kenton. Jayan then went on to proudly give the name of each member of the group in return. During this exchange, a woman, about the same height as Diana, entered the house. She wore a peach coloured summer dress, and her black hair was tied loosely at the nape of her neck.

Diana had noticed her arrival out of the corner of her eye, and watched as she scrutinised each of them in turn, beginning with Eric, then moving on to her. The Acrobat felt an odd sensation while being studied, as though the woman could see right to her very soul, and found herself holding her breath until she looked away to gaze at the Magician. Finally, the sapphire eyes came to rest on Bobby and Hank, and Diana saw them widen slightly and there was something else. If her expression was to be believed, it appeared that she was greatly concerned for them all, but especially for the Ranger and the Barbarian.

Jayan suddenly noticed her presence, and ran to greet her.

"What have you been getting up to today?" she asked the child as she swung him in her arms.

She was obviously the boy's mother, and it was clear that she adored her young son. The Acrobat looked at her intently. She looked vaguely familiar, and Diana had the distinct impression that she had seen someone like her before. She lowered her gaze as the woman turned her attention from her child back to her guests.

"I'm Karleena," she said with a smile, then went on to ask if they would be staying the night.

"Only if it's no trouble," Diana responded.

"No trouble at all, we would welcome the company." She glanced down at her son, who was stroking Uni's mane "and that includes you," she added, looking down kindly at the little unicorn.

Karleena lead them through a narrow corridor and into a small room. She opened a cupboard at one end and pulled out a large pile of blankets and cushions.

"Will you be alright in one room?" she asked, looking at Diana in particular.

"Sure," the Acrobat replied. She was about to say more, when Karleena continued.

"That's all settled then, now what about some supper?"

Eric, Diana and Presto looked at Hank and Bobby, then back at each other before the Cavalier responded.

"It's OK, we're not really hungry."

"You must eat something," Karleena insisted, "I'll make up some broth."

Hank met her eye and realised that she was not going to take no for an answer.

"Thanks," he muttered, "that would be good."

Karleena nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Can I sleep in here too?" Jayan asked, tugging on his mothers arm.

"I don't think that would be a good idea Jayan," she replied, glimpsing down at him.

"Aww, please," he beseeched.

"No Jayan," she said more firmly. "If you stay in here, then no one will get any sleep."

The group all looked relieved. It wasn't that they didn't like Jayan, and if circumstances had been different, then there would have been no problem; but the thought of sharing a room with a very over-excited little boy for the night, given their current mood, was not an appealing prospect.

Karleena continued, "Now say goodnight Jayan. You can see your new friends in the morning."

She steered the child from the room, then paused at the entrance.

"I'll just see to him and then get started on that broth."

They listened to the sound of Jayan's voice, still protesting about the sleeping arrangements, until a door closing somewhere cut him off.

"Well, they seem friendly enough," Presto said.

"We still need to be on our guard," Hank warned. "We can't take anything for granted, and we still have a crystal to find."

They all looked at him in surprise, they had forgotten all about the crystal. It was Diana who recovered first.

"Where do we start looking?" she asked.

"I… I don't know," Hank admitted.

"We could always ask Kenton and Karleena," she suggested, inclined to believe that the kindness the couple had shown them was genuine.

Hank hesitated.

"Not tonight," he finally said, "we'll decide what to do in the morning."

--X--

Karleena re-entered the room just as Presto was just placing the last cushion on what would be his bed for the night.

"Supper is nearly ready," she informed them. "We can all eat in the kitchen."

They followed her back along the corridor to the room where they had first entered the house. Kenton was already seated at the large table which was now set with seven places, and on the floor at one end there was a dish containing something that resembled grass for Uni.

"Where's Jayan," Eric asked.

"He's already had his supper," Karleena replied.

"And now he is in bed, though I doubt he is sleeping," Kenton continued.

"Your arrival, has been quite exciting for him," his mother explained, and then gesturing towards the table, she added, "please, take a seat."

"Can I help?" Presto asked.

Karleena nodded, and then smiled at the Magician as he moved over to assist her while the others sat at the table. She carefully tipped a thick broth into the bowls laid out on the side and Presto began handing them out. She picked up the last two portions, handed one to her husband, then sat beside him and they all began their supper. No one spoke, and after a while, the lack of conversation started to become uncomfortable. Everyone was relieved when Kenton broke the silence, even if they weren't sure how to answer him.

"So, what brings you to Letion?" he asked, then noticing their hesitation, continued. "We're a bit out of the way here, so don't get many visitors."

The Acrobat and the Magician looked at Hank for guidance. He had said not to mention the crystal, but they had to say something about their reason for being here. It was Eric who answered.

"We're looking for a way home."

"Home?" Karleena questioned. "So you are not from near here?"

"No," said Diana, with a wistful smile, "we're not from the Realm at all."

"We can here from Earth," Presto added. "We were all transported here from the amusement park."

"A muse-ment-park! What's that?" Kenton asked.

Diana smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. The Magician then went on to explain a little about their home-world, giving the couple a brief history of their unexpected arrival in the Realm, the weapons they now carried and the identities they had been given by Dungeonmaster. Kenton asked a few questions every so often, but his wife listened in silence.

Diana noticed that he spoke in a low voice as he told the story, and that the atmosphere in the room was still heavy, but she soon turned her attention away from the Magician to focus on Hank. She could see that he was listening to the conversation, but, like her, did not join in. It was a relief that they had avoided having to explain their presence in Letion, but she did not feel like talking; it was all she could do to swallow the food in front of her. She noticed the Ranger turn his head to check on Bobby. The Barbarian had a dazed expression, but at least he was eating. Suddenly, something Kenton said caught both her and Hank's attention.

"…and so suddenly the five of you found yourselves trapped here?"

"Not five, six," Hank corrected.

Everyone at the table turned to look at him.

"Six?" Kenton inquired.

"Her name was Sheila," Hank said quietly. He took a deep breath. "She was… She was killed as we left the valley on the way here."

Without uttering a sound, Bobby sprang up from the table and bolted back down the corridor to the room they had been given for the night. Hank closed his eyes for a few seconds, then excused himself and went after the Barbarian.

The others watched him go. They had thought about nothing else but Sheila's death since it had happened, but it was the first time any of them had actually said anything out loud. Somehow, telling someone about it made it real, she was dead; it was so final, so hopeless.

"I'm sorry for you loss," Karleena said. "Your friend Sheila and the boy were close?"

"His sister," Eric informed her with a sigh.

"I think we'll head for bed too," Presto muttered.

"Do you need any help clearing away?" Diana offered.

"No, I'll be fine. You all just try and get some rest," Karleena answered.

Diana nodded, and the three of them, followed by the baby unicorn left the kitchen.

--X--

Kenton waited until he heard the door to their room close before speaking.

"Karleena?"

She frowned, "nothing!"

"Nothing! Nothing at all?" he exclaimed.

She shook her head. "I knew something was wrong as soon as I met them, but a death! That can't be right."

"You think there weren't telling the truth?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Oh no, they aren't lying," she said with certainty. "The pain they feel is too real for that."

"But how could a girl have been killed in the plains without you knowing?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied looking at him in bewilderment. "I just don't know!"

--X--


	5. Chapter 5: Forced Sleep

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 5 – Forced Sleep**

The Ranger was lying on his side trying to concentrate on the various noises around him. The calming sound of his friends breathing as they slept; a horse neighing in the stables outside; the shrill whistling of the wind; anything that would divert his thoughts away from her.

It wasn't working. He found himself going over his relationship with Sheila, and thought back to the first time he had seen the pretty redhead. She had been sitting with Diana, and it had been the sound of her laughing that has initially caught his attention, such a beautiful laugh. He had stood quietly, watching the two girls as they chatted and joked for some time before Diana had spotted him and called him over. He remembered the way Sheila's face had coloured slightly as they were introduced, the instant attraction he had felt for her, and the shy smile she had given him in response to his own.

He closed his eyes. He had been hooked from the start; the more he saw of her, the more time he had wanted to spend with her. He had just about plucked up the courage to ask her out, when they had found themselves trapped in the Realm. He had made up his mind then that anything more than friendship between them would have to wait until this was over and they were back home, away from the dangers they all had to face in this strange world.

It had been easy at first, but the longer they spent stuck here together, the more difficult he had found it to ignore his growing feelings for the Thief. They had been in the Realm so long now, longer in fact than the time he had known Sheila back on Earth, and now she was gone. He would never get the chance to tell her how he had felt, how much she had meant to him, how just the fact of her being there with him had given him the strength he needed to be their leader, and he had no idea what he was going to do without her.

Then there was the fact that this was his fault. He had been warned what would happen to Sheila if she stepped through the archway, not just once, but four times, and he had still failed her. He should have tried harder to remember the details, he should have taken better care of her, he should have looked after her, and instead, he had done nothing. No, worse than nothing, he had actually given the order for her to step through the entrance. He had known something was wrong, he should have listened to his instincts, but he had ignored them, and Sheila had been the one to pay the ultimate price for his error.

His mouth felt dry, and the mild headache that had started last evening was now so bad he felt like his head would explode. He wanted so desperately to be able to believe that somehow the Thief was safe; that this was just another nightmare; that she was still alive; but he couldn't. He could still hear that scream, haunting him, playing over and over in his head. He had killed her with his mistake, and there was nothing that could be done to make it right. The only thing he could do now was to take care of her brother. Bobby needed him, and Hank was going to make sure he was there for him, look after him, protect him, keep him safe and get him back home to his parents. He had a crystal to find, he would do it for Sheila; he had to.

He rolled over onto his back, stayed that way for a few minutes, then sat up and opened his eyes. He shot a quick glance around the room. It was still fairly dark, but was no longer pitch black, and the sound of bird song told him that the first light of morning would soon be seeping into the room through the window. He had been awake all night. He twisted round to the left to see that the Magician, Cavalier and Acrobat were sleeping close together in the centre of the room. Eric was in the middle, and Diana was resting her head and one hand on the Cavalier's arm. He turned to his right and saw that Bobby, although not moving, was clearly awake, and appeared to have been so for some time. He gave a small sigh, went over to where he lay, and placed a hand on his shoulder. The Barbarian remained inert, not even seeming to notice the Rangers presence. Uni gave a sorrowful little bleat and stared at Hank with mournful eyes. He patted her head, stood up quietly, walked to the door, carefully opened it, and then closed it softly behind him.

--X--

Kenton and Karleena were breakfasting in the kitchen while discussing what they had discovered the previous evening about their young guests. It was still very early, not yet dawn, so the only light came from two lanterns resting on the table where they sat.

"I still don't understand why I didn't sense it," Karleena was saying.

"Could the curse have been broken?" Kenton asked his wife, hopefully.

"If only that were possible," she said with a sigh, "but that could only happen with the destruction of…"

She raised her head and listened.

"Someone's coming," she whispered.

"I'll leave you to it," Kenton replied softly.

He got up, seized one of the lanterns and bent over to kiss his wife.

"I'll be working in the lower field by the stream if you need me," he informed her as he moved to the door.

He left, leaving Karleena to sit and wait for the appearance of the person she had heard approaching. She listened to the light footsteps coming along the hallway and concluded, correctly, that they belonged to the eldest of her visitors. As Hank opened the door to the kitchen, she rose from the table and greeted him brightly.

"Good morning, you're up early."

"I couldn't sleep," he muttered.

She studied him for a moment before realising that he had spoken the truth, literally. His bloodshot eyes told tale to the fact that he had indeed not slept.

"The loss of someone you care for is a heavy burden," she stated.

She moved over to where he stood, led him gently to the table, made him sit down, and then sat beside him. Knowing that he was not prepared to talk about his feelings, at least not yet, she instead surprised him with the question she asked.

"How are your friends coping?"

He looked at her for a few seconds before answering.

"They're OK, I guess. They were all sleeping when I left," and then added, "except for Bobby, that is."

_So the boy has not slept either_, she thought, and then added aloud, "the child is deeply disturbed by the loss of his sister."

"I don't know what to do for him," Hank said anxiously, "I have to make sure he's OK, but I don't know how."

"He needs to grieve," she told him simply. "I have not heard him utter a single sound since he arrived in Letion. He had not accepted Sheila's death."

Hank put his head in his hands and groaned.

"I need to go and talk to him," he said, and got to his feet.

Karleena placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Wait!" she said gently. "First you need to take care of yourself."

"But he needs me," the Ranger protested.

"Yes, but how will going in there, without knowing what you plan to say help him?" she challenged.

He sighed, and sat back down again.

"What do you suggest?" he asked.

She surveyed him for a moment, and then came to a decision. He watched as she walked over to a small cupboard, opened the door and took out a jar containing a fine amber powder. She placed some of the powder into a large jug of water, mixed it together, and then poured the contents into two mugs. She picked up the drinks and came back towards him.

"Come with me, Hank," she said quietly.

Hank eyed her suspiciously.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's a herbal mixture that will help clear your head before you talk to the boy," she informed him calmly.

He continued to look at her. "Where are we going?"

"Just through to the next room," she assured him.

She led him a short way back down the corridor, into what looked like a tiny sitting room. It had a homely appearance, but instead of the expected sofa or chairs, there was a multitude of giant cushions scatted around the floor.

"I come in here when I need time to myself," she explained.

Hank took one of the mugs from her as she offered it and took a small sip. Karleena smiled, and then sat down on one of the large cushions. Hank followed her lead and did the same, before taking another sip of the mixture. He looked at the contents of the cup for a moment, before placing it beside him on the ground, as Karleena had done with hers.

"Hank, what happened to Sheila?" Karleena asked him softly.

The Ranger took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Karleena could tell that he didn't want to talk about what had happened, but she continued to stare at him, watching as he took two more sips of the drink she had given him. It would not be long now, and sure enough, he suddenly started talking, sharing the details of the previous day's events with her. He began by telling her that they had set out to Letion on the advice of Dungeonmaster, seeking a possible way home, but made no specific reference to the crystal. He told her about their journey, the creatures that had attacked them, and the strange gateway they had encountered.

As he got to the point where he had heard Sheila's last scream, his voice faltered. He picked up the mug at his side, drained the remainder of its contents, and took a few deep breaths to regain his control. He looked across to Karleena, and then peered down at the empty cup in his hand, watching as it slipped from his grip to the floor, and then squinted back at the woman opposite him.

"What have you done to me?" he murmured.

He tried to stand, but instead fell back, landing unconscious in the pillows behind him.

Karleena got to her feet, moved to stand over Hank, and then bent down to re-arranged the pillows before placing a blanket over him. She then picked up his empty mug from where he had let it fall, took the other, as yet untouched drink in her other hand and went to exit the room. She paused in the doorway, cast one last look at the sleeping figure, smiled, and then carefully closed the door.

"First, you take care of yourself," she said softly, "I will look after Bobby."

She returned momentarily to the kitchen to deposit Hank's cup on the table, then headed back down to the room where Bobby and the others lay. As she expected, the Barbarian was awake, gazing at the ceiling, and she quietly made her way to him, treading carefully, so as not to wake Diana, Eric or Presto. Like the Ranger, she noticed that the Acrobat was leaning against the Cavalier. _I wonder what she will think to that when she wakes;_ she thought as she passed, and gave an amused smile. She then returned her attention back to the Barbarian, kneeling beside him and raising his head slightly.

"Here, drink this," she whispered.

Bobby immediately complied with her request, without question, and Karleena watched as he drank the entire contents. She waited until his eyes closed before gently lowering him back down onto his pillow, and then turned to view the unicorn lying at his side. Uni had observed as Karleena had administered the potion to the Barbarian, and was now gazing intently at her.

Karleena's eyes of sapphire blue, locked with the pale pink ones of the unicorn. Each surveyed the other, unblinking, unmoving, while an unspoken understanding passed between the two. After several minutes, Karleena closed her eyes and lowered her head, breaking the link. She opened them again and addressed the unicorn.

"You are a true and loyal friend."

Karleena then smiled at Uni and rested a hand on her head.

"The boy will sleep until late into the day," she informed the unicorn. "You wish to remain will him until that time?"

"Meah," came the barely audible reply.

"So be it," Karleena acknowledged.

Diana sighed in her sleep, and moved slightly nearer to the Cavalier. Karleena hurriedly retreated from the room in case they should wake, not wishing to be forced to explain her presence there at the current time. She made her way back down the hallway, stopping on the way to ensure that the door to the room where Hank lay was securely fastened. This done, she continued until she reached the kitchen and began clearing away the plates that she and Kenton has used earlier. If Jayan was true to form, it would not be long before he was up and about, as dawn was fast approaching, and having already seen Diana stirring, she suspected that Jayan would not be the only one joining her shortly. Therefore, she laid out four places at the table before starting on the breakfast preparations.

--X--

There was something wrong with his arm, it felt numb, and he couldn't feel his fingers. Eric lay for a few minutes trying to figure it out, when a sound to his left, followed by a change in the pressure on his arm alerted him to what had happened; his arm was being used as a pillow. He opened his eyes and was about to yank his arm free, when he saw that it was not Presto, as he had imagined, but Diana. He froze, closed his eyes, slowly opened them again, and stared, open mouthed at the Acrobat.

_I'm dreaming_, he thought, _I must be_. He didn't move, and watched her sleeping, with a smile on his face. She looked so peaceful, her steady breathing, her smooth, dark skin, the curves of her body… His smile turned into a broad grin. He blinked slowly, needing to clear his head of these particular thoughts. If the Acrobat caught him checking her out like this, the consequences didn't bear thinking about, needless to say, he would undoubtedly find it a painful experience. Knowing Diana; waiting for her to wake up, for her to find out that she had just been sleeping so close to him, would be a very bad idea. She'd probably say it was his fault. No, she would definitely blame him, and he didn't want to have an argument with her, at least, not a real one.

The 'bickering' they had been doing of late was just a bit of fun, for both of them, with the added bonus, as far as he was concerned, that it seemed to have been getting on their leader's nerves. Slowly, inch by inch, Eric carefully pulled his arm free, replacing it with a cushion, relived that he had decided to remove his armour for sleeping. Then, as quietly as he could, he got to his feet and moved over to the window, spotting as he did so that Hank was missing, but that everyone else was still dozing. He assumed that the Ranger, being unable to sleep, had taken the chance to grab some time alone, so did not find his absence any cause for concern.

He was completely lost in his thoughts, a mixture of pleasant memories regarding his more recent interactions with the Acrobat and the bitter-sweet ones of his friendship with Sheila. He was desperately trying not to think about what had happened. How could Sheila be gone! It didn't ream real. He thought about the Thief, the times he had made her smile, the times he had made her laugh, even when he hadn't meant to. Then he remembered other things, the times he had been cruel or hurtful, the times he had actually reduced her to tears. She had always forgiven him, that was Sheila for you, and now it was too late to let her know just how much her friendship had meant to him.

He was so absorbed in these recollections that he failed to notice that someone else was now wide awake, nor that that someone had made their way over to where he was standing, so much so, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Diana gently place her hand on his arm. Ordinarily, she would have laughed at his reaction, it had been so comical, but instead she moved to stand just in front of him, resting her hands on the sill of the window. She gazed out for a while before speaking.

"I miss her," she said, with a slight quiver to her voice.

"Me too," he replied sadly.

He took a step forward, to place a hand on the shoulder, and stopped mid-movement when he caught sight of her face. Silent tears were pouring down her cheeks. He didn't know what to do. He had only ever seen Diana cry once before; just after Starfall, and then she had had Sheila to offer the comfort and support she had needed. Just as he was beginning to panic, an instinct he didn't know he had took over. He gently turned her round to face him and drew her to him, letting her sob into his shoulder as she clung tightly to him, her whole body shaking as she gave in to her emotions. Eric cradled the weeping Acrobat, somehow knowing that this was what she needed, a chance to grieve for her best friend; shed the tears that she had been keeping back for the sake of Bobby and Hank.

Gradually her sobbing subsided and she was no longer trembling.

"I'm sorry," she said shakily, pulling away from him and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Hey, it's OK," he said softly.

"I… I can't believe she's really gone," Diana whispered, bowing her head and turning from him to face the window again.

Eric sighed, "I know, she was a good friend."

"The best," she agreed.

Eric, still standing behind her, wrapped his arms around her and she leant back into his embrace, placing her hands over his as she did so, taking comfort from the warmth of his body against hers. The pair watched in silence as the first two of the Realm's suns rose simultaneously over the horizon, each mourning for their friend, while at the same time feeling a tinge of guilt for the pleasure they each got from sharing this moment together, observing nature's spectacular show.

--X--

Karleena heard loud footsteps running along the hallway and turned her head to see the door fly open. Jayan ran straight to her, and crashed into her with enough force to take her breath away.

"Whoa, take it easy," she gasped.

"Are they up yet?" he cried excitedly. "Can we go out and play? Can we?"

She gave him an indulgent smile as she answered his questions in reverse order.

"You can go out to play AFTER breakfast, and no, your friends are still sleeping."

"I'll go and get them," he yelled.

He ran back across the room, and Karleena, in one swift movement grabbed him to prevent his exit.

"You'll do no such thing," she scalded.

Jayan turned to face his mother, his eyes downcast.

"And what have I told you about running in the house?" she demanded.

"Walk, don't run," he mumbled, "I'm sorry, I forgot."

He raised his head, and looked at her appealingly, seeking forgiveness, with an expression that only a child, who knows when they have done wrong, can seem to achieve. Karleena rolled her eyes and then turned away so that he would not see her smile.

"Just don't do it again," she told him.

"OK, I'll try," he replied.

"Good. Now sit down while I get your breakfast. You'll just have to be patient and wait for your friends."

Jayan obediently sat down as instructed while Karleena brought over a drink and placed it down in front of him. He remembered to thank her, and then took a sip as he began telling her about the games he planned to play, mainly involving Eric, and the 'dragon' they had to fight. Karleena in turn, while glad that he had someone to have fun with, just hoped that her boisterous son would not trouble their visitors too much during their stay.

--X--

There was a loud crash, immediately followed by a yelp from Presto, as Eric's breastplate was sent skidding across the room. The Acrobat and the Cavalier jumped apart and span round to see what had caused the commotion, just in time to see the rather red faced Magician placing on his glasses.

"Can't you get up quietly," Eric snapped, his own face slightly flushed.

"Sorry guys," he muttered in reply.

The Cavalier, on catching the look Diana gave him, went on to reassure his friend.

"It's OK, I guess we're all a bit on edge at the moment."

He stole a quick glance at the Acrobat, and was relived to see a look of approval on her face.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Eric and Presto exchanged grins, which prompted Diana to give a small smile too. She then strolled over to where Bobby and Uni were lying and was surprised when she saw that, although Uni was awake, the Barbarian was not, despite the disturbance.

"He's still sleeping," she told them.

"You're kidding!" Eric exclaimed.

"Do you think we should wake him?" Presto asked.

The Acrobat shook her head.

"Then I guess we ought to go and find Hank," Eric suggested.

He walked over to retrieve his breastplate from the corner where it had landed and hurriedly strapped it on, along with the rest of his armour. The three of them then made their way out of the room, and upon hearing voices in the kitchen, headed towards them, to enquire as to the whereabouts of the Ranger.

--X--

Eric cautiously pushed open the door, and the three of them found that it was Karleena and Jayan who they had heard talking, or to be precise, Jayan was chattering, his mother was listening, while nodding in the right places. It seemed that this was a daily ritual, one which she appeared to be well practiced in. Karleena noticed their entrance and raised her head to greet them.

"How are you all feeling this morning?"

"ERIC!" Jayan yelled.

He sprang up from the table, and then, remembering what his mother has just told him, walked, albeit rather quickly, to the Cavalier and flung his arms around him.

"Will you come and play with me," he asked.

"I… I…" Eric stammered, having no idea what to do or say.

"Pleeeease," Jayan persisted.

The child then gave the Cavalier a similar look to the one he had tried on his mother a few moments before and got the desired result. Eric, not used to dealing with small children, caved in, and found himself reluctantly promising that they would go out and play after they had eaten. Although he would never admit it, Eric secretly liked the fact that Jayan had taken such a shine to him, and if circumstances had been different, he would have actually been looking forward to whatever the little boy had in mind.

Karleena interrupted them at this point.

"Jayan, let go of Eric, and sit back down," she ordered.

At that, Jayan released the Cavalier, grabbed his hand and pulled him to the table.

"You can sit next to me," he proclaimed loudly.

Diana and Presto watched this exchange, and shared a look of surprise, before following the pair to the table. Karleena brought over three plates of food, while Presto poured them each a glass, of what he assumed was juice of some kind, from a jug in front of them. Jayan was still commanding Eric's full attention, and was currently telling him about the dragon that they were going to flight later. A brief look of alarm crossed the Cavaliers face until he noticed that Karleena did not appear concerned, and realised that the dragon was only make-believe.

"Is there anything we can do?" Diana asked.

"Your just being here is enough," Karleena replied. She sat in the seat next to the Acrobat, helped herself to a drink, and then continued. "We get so few visitors."

She gazed out if the window for a moment, and appeared lost in her thoughts. Presto's query brought her back to the present.

"Aren't you eating?"

"I've already had breakfast with Kenton," she explained.

Diana then asked the question they had intended to ask on entering the kitchen before Jayan had distracted them.

"Have you seen Hank this morning?"

"He was in here earlier," Karleene answered truthfully.

"Do you know where he is now?" Presto asked.

"I don't think you should go looking for him for a while," Karleena advised.

For a split second, her eyes glanced at the wall which divided them from the room where the Ranger lay.

"He needs time to arrange his thoughts," she added.

Diana and Presto exchanged looks, and silently agreed not to go searching for the Ranger, trusting that he would turn up when he was ready. They knew that he had been pushing his own grief aside to take care of Bobby, so each believed that he had disappeared to mourn for Sheila privately, and would not welcome their intrusion.

--X--

They had not realised how hungry they were, but they had scarcely touched the broth the previous evening, so they all ate heartily. The food was good, and they had soon cleared plates, with the exception of Jayan, who had been so busy talking, that he kept forgetting to eat. Karleena began the conversation again.

"So what do you two plan on doing while Jayan and Eric are 'fighting dragons'," she asked Presto and Diana.

"No, they have to come too," Jayan cried.

Eric had not even considered that Diana and Presto would not be coming with him and Jayan, and was relieved when Diana agreed to join them. Presto on the other hand, found the prospect alarming, and a look of mild panic flitted across his face. On seeing his apprehension, Karleena offered him an alternative.

"I was hoping one of you might be able to give me a hand round here."

The Magician jumped at the chance, and offered his services. Jayan looked like he was about to protest, but a stern look from his mother silenced him. She had her own reasons for wanting the Magician to remain behind, and knew that her son would still have plenty of fun with Eric and Diana. She also believed that they would benefit from the game, as it would be a distraction from their current unhappy thoughts.

Jayan hastily finished his breakfast and then jumped from his seat.

"I'll just get my sword," he yelled and disappeared momentarily down the hallway. He was soon back, clasping a small toy sword in his hand.

"Let's go," he yelled excitedly, and the trio headed for the door.

"Be careful the 'dragon' doesn't hurt you," Karleena called playfully.

"Do I get to fight the 'dragon' too?" Diana asked, joining in with the pretence.

"No," Jayan answered, looking puzzled. "You're the lady me and Eric have to rescue."

"I'm... _what_!" she shrieked.

The rest of their conversation was cut off by the closing of the door.

--X--

Despite everything that had happened recently, Presto couldn't help himself. On catching Karleena's eye, the two of them burst out laughing. Diana had sounded so indignant. The thought of the Acrobat acting the role of 'Damsel in Distress' was, well, quite frankly, ludicrous.

The pair finally composed themselves, and they began the task of clearing up in the kitchen. The Magician then asked her what she needed help with next. She gave him a conspiratorial smile as she explained that she had thought he would prefer not to go with the others, and that she herself would appreciate the company.

For the most part, Karleena enjoyed life on the farm with her husband and their son. She loved them both dearly, and was painfully aware of the sacrifices that Kenton had made so that they could be together. Given the circumstances, there was no other choice, they had no option but to lead the life they did, a quiet and tranquil life, but sometimes she found it a lonely existence.

She thought back to what they had been forced to leave behind. There had been a time when she had lived in a large town, surrounded by people, where she had happily chatted with friends and strangers alike at leisure. It had been there that she had met, and fallen in love with Kenton. She has been honest with him from the start. She had always known about the burden that she would have to bear, even though at that point, she was unaware of how it would manifest itself, but she had taken the risk and told him everything. He had taken it in his stride and they were soon married. For a short time, they had been very content, but it could not last.

She had reached the age where the affliction revealed itself, and had found it both a frightening and unsettling experience. It became apparent very quickly that remaining in the town was not an option, and they had left, seeking refuge in a small village. They stayed there for nearly a year, and had just learnt that she was expecting a child when it happened. The incident that occurred shocked everyone, and it had nearly resulted in the loss of the baby. They remained only long enough for her to have recovered for the journey, before departing for the land of her ancestors, Letion Plains.

Kenton had worked hard, transforming the abandoned buildings into the farm which they now occupied, but he had done so quickly. Jayan's arrival shortly after he had completed renovating the house finally allowed her to move on from her past, and she now regarded the place they had lived for the last six years as home. Here she was safe, away from people, where the curse would have no influence, and it had thus lain dormant ever since.

Karleena turned her attention back to the Magician at her side. She was still puzzled about Sheila's death and had singled him out as the one who she would be able to extract the most information from. The Ranger and Barbarian were still unconscious, while Eric and Diana would be less willing to talk to a stranger, but she sensed that Presto needed to speak to someone about what had happened, and that suited her needs perfectly.

Gradually, she steered their conversation to the events of the previous day, and in doing so, obtained the extra information she required about the incident. He talked a great deal about Sheila, the kind of person she had been, looking after her brother, caring for everyone, the calming influence on that she had had on the group and her trusting and loyal nature. He described her appearance and went on to explain that she had been given the identity of Thief in the Realm and had worn a cloak, which had rendered her invisible, when she pulled up the hood.

Karleena was a good listener, and with very little prompting, Presto was soon telling her what had happened when they had reached the gateway. She was already familiar with most of what he said, having heard the Ranger's account earlier that morning, and she was able to inform him of the name of the creatures that had attacked them. He reached the point where he had first realised that Sheila was missing, and it was here that the Magicians version of events differed slightly from Hank's. Unlike the Ranger, Presto had not heard the Thief's last scream and had only known that something had gone wrong after the Tereans attack had ended. He then explained what had happened immediately after they discovered Sheila was gone, Bobby destroying the archway, and the damage caused by the mist on its release.

It was here that Presto ended his narration, and the pair sat in silence for a while. Karleena went through what the Magician had just told her in her mind, and was struck by a thought.

"So Hank actually saw the girl's death," she whispered, not realising that she had spoken aloud.

"Well… He didn't actually see it," Presto replied. "She was hidden under her cloak when she…"

The door from the hallway flew open with a bang and an enraged Hank came charging into the room. He stood over the pair where they sat, glaring at Karleena.

"Hank!" Presto gasped, surprised at the Ranger's sudden appearance.

"What did you do to me?" Hank demanded, ignoring the Magician.

Karleena looked completely un-phased by his entrance and stared at him in return. Once again, he felt the intense scrutiny of her eyes, and eventually, he was the one to avert his gaze.

"Nothing more that I told you," she said, in response to his question.

"You drugged me!" he yelled.

"You expected to be able to think clearly without any sleep?" she replied.

"That's not the point," Hank snapped.

"Isn't it?" she challenged.

"You should have told me what you were doing."

"Would you have let me if I had?" she queried.

"I… I might have," he said, but did not even sound like he believed his own words.

Presto found his voice at last.

"You drugged him!"

"A sleeping draft, nothing more," she informed him.

"And Bobby?" Hank asked.

She nodded in response.

Hank looked at her, and she realised that he was trying to figure her out. She knew he would never have accepted her help if he had known what she had intended to do, but she was also aware that he would be feeling better, at least physically after some sleep. As she watched, she could image the thoughts running through his head. On the one hand, she had deceived him, but she hoped that he would understand that she had done so for the right reasons. He would be asking himself whether he could trust her, and she could only wait until he reached his decision.

At that point, Uni, having heard the disturbance, and on recognising the voices, made her presence known. She trotted straight to Karleena, and allowed her to stroke her head. Knowing that it was too soon for Bobby to be awake, Karleena realised that the little unicorn had acted this way purely for her benefit, and was grateful for her assistance. Uni then raised her head, turned, and proudly walked back the way she had come, to continue her watch over the sleeping Barbarian.

Hank and Presto watched in silence as this took place. The unicorn was normally the least trusting among them, and yet she had just boldly marched up to Karleena, without even a hint of fear. She would never have done that if she believed that Karleena was a threat to them.

The Ranger made his decision. He looked Karleena directly in the eye as he spoke.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

She gave him a small smile, which he and the Magician returned.

"Where are the others?" Hank asked.

"They're out fighting 'dragons' with Jayan," Presto told him.

"Fighting what!" he exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Jayan's 'dragon' is a dead tree by the stream," Karleena assured him.

Hank shook his head, not wanting to know.

"It will be some time before Bobby wakes," Karleena interjected.

"Then I guess, we go and find Eric and Diana," Hank said.

Karleena suggested that they take some food with them and have lunch by the stream. Hank considered this for a few minutes, and then agreed. In what seemed like no time at all, they were ready to leave and had enough food with them for Kenton, who would likely join them to eat, as he would be working near the stream. Karleena opted to remain behind, just in case the Barbarian did wake up while they were gone, and she watched them walk across the yard before closing the door behind them.

She then walked through the kitchen and went instead to the little room she had shown the Ranger earlier. She sat down in the centre of the room and closed her eyes. She had much to contemplate.

--X--


	6. Chapter 6: Deona's Crystal

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 6 – Deona's Crystal**

Diana was sat on the ground, leaning against a large rock, her hands behind her back, trying to think how the hell she had allowed herself to be talked into this. She was not in the mood for playing games, but had agreed to go with Eric and Jayan, partly because she had not thought it fair to leave the Cavalier to handle the boy on his own, and also, to stop herself from constantly replaying the events of the previous day over and over in her head.

So now she was acting her part, pretending that she had been kidnapped by an evil wizard, who had placed her under the guard of a ferocious dragon, to await rescue. She smiled slightly as she watched Eric and Jayan jumping around the dead tree that served as their dragon, the boy with his wooden sword and the Cavalier with a large stick. Even though she could see his heart was not in it, Eric was doing a remarkable job of keeping Jayan entertained. This was a side to him that she did not get to see very often, a softer, more caring side.

All they had seemed to do lately was argue. He was forever starting fights with her, deliberately stirring up trouble without any provocation. No, that wasn't true, and she knew it. Half the time, she had baited him, calculating her words with the sole aim of goading the Cavalier into responding, encouraging him to react. _Encourage him... _that's what Sheila had said. She wondered what the Thief would have thought to her current situation, where she had even let Eric tie her wrists, to make the game more realistic.

And then there had been the moment they had shared that morning, where the two of them had watched the suns rise, with his arms around her waist, and before that, where he had held her as she sobbed. Those were not the actions of the spoilt, obnoxious, selfish teenager she knew, or was that had known? Eric was no longer that person. He had changed. They all had. Sure, he was still sarcastic and infuriatingly stubborn, and sometimes just damn right annoying, but then why did she keep going back for more? _Sheila, I really wish you were here right now_, she thought as she lent her head back against the rock and closed her eyes.

She was startled from her private thoughts by a loud shout from Jayan.

"Victory!"

He came tearing over to where the Acrobat sat, with a big grin on his face and then bowed. Eric had followed closely behind him and knelt down beside Diana to cut the string that bound her wrists as Jayan addressed her.

"My lady, Sir Jayan of Letion at your service."

She knew the Cavalier must have told him what to say, but quickly came up with a suitable response.

"Thank you my good knight, how can I repay you for saving me?"

He looked at her for a moment and then whispered something in her ear, prompting her to smile and even give a small laugh.

"A kiss well deserved for such a brave warrior," she said, as she leant forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hey, do I get one too?" Eric asked hopefully.

"In your dreams, Cavalier!" she replied. "In your dreams!"

"Worth a try," he muttered.

Deciding that a change of subject was called for, Diana asked Jayan if he played this game often.

"All the time," he informed her.

"Jayan wants to be a knight," Eric added.

"I've seen it," he stated.

"Seen it? What do you mean you've seen it?" the Acrobat queried.

"The magic stone showed me," he replied.

He started rummaging in his pockets, drawing out a variety of items, before he found what he was looking for.

"Do you see it?" he called out, pointing at something in front of him.

The Acrobat gasped as she recognised the object that the boy now held in his hand.

"It's Deona's Crystal," Eric whispered.

"Well, do you?" Jayan asked.

Diana realised that the child must be looking at a vision created by the jewel, and also that he needed an answer. She told him gently that they could not see the image, then went on to explain that the gemstone was showing him his greatest wish, and that as wishes were special, then he was the only one who was allowed to see it.

"Does that mean I'm not going to be a knight?" he asked, with obvious disappointment in his voice.

"Of course not," Eric reassured him. "If you practice, and fight like you did today, you're sure to be a knight someday."

Jayan seemed happy with this answer and grinned. He went to put the stone back into his pocket, when Eric stopped him with a question.

"Jayan, would you let me and Diana borrow your stone?"

"OK," he replied, nodding his head at the same time.

He held out his hand, and the Acrobat went to take the stone from it, but Eric grabbed her wrist to prevent her from doing so. She watched in confusion as he removed his cloak and passed it to her.

"We shouldn't touch it," he explained. "At least, not yet."

Diana nodded in agreement, and then, using his cloak, took the crystal from Jayan's hand, being careful to make sure that she did not come into contact with it, telling Jayan that they would try it out later.

--X--

The Ranger and the Magician were walking side by side, in the direction indicated by Karleena, in search of their two friends. Neither had spoken since they had left her, each preferring to remain silent for the time being. They had set out twenty minutes earlier from the farmhouse at a slow pace, but would soon reach the lower field, where Kenton should be working, with the expectation of finding Eric and Diana with Jayan by the stream just beyond it.

Hank, now able to at least think clearly, following his forced sleep, was trying to decide what to do. He had only told one person about the dreams he had been having, but it had not been enough to save her. The question he was now asking himself was what he should tell the others. He had already ruled out not saying anything. There could be no secrets between them; he had learnt that lesson the hard way. Ever since then, there had only been one thing he had kept from them, or more precisely, her, and that was only supposed to be until they got home. He had then planned to let her know how he had felt about her, once this was all over, and he was able to go back to being just Hank, not Hank the Ranger or Hank the leader. Now she would never know.

He forced himself to focus on his current dilemma. As soon as he was alone with Eric, Diana and Presto, he would give them the full story about the warnings he had received, and that he had been unable to remember enough of the details until it had been too late. Sheila had been their friend too, and they had a right to know. Bobby would have to wait for now. He was in no fit state to hear about that at the moment. He would ask the advice of the others before making up his mind about what he should tell the Barbarian.

His thoughts were interrupted by Presto.

"There's Kenton."

Hank looked up, saw that the Magician was correct, and that Kenton had seen them approaching, and was now heading over to meet them. They exchanged a few friendly words, and the trio then continued across the field in the direction of the stream from where the voices of Jayan, Eric and Diana could just be made out. As they drew nearer, Hank saw that Jayan was sitting on the ground with his friends. He was about to call out when Jayan beat him to it.

"Dad," he yelled, and jumped to his feet.

The boy ran towards them, to be scooped up into his father's arms. Hank, Presto and Kenton, the latter now carrying his child; continued until they reached the spot where the Cavalier and the Acrobat were waiting, and sat on the grass beside them. The Ranger lay his bow down next to Eric's shield and they unpacked the food that Karleena had sent. Jayan was talking non-stop, telling Kenton about how he and Eric had rescued Diana from the evil sorcerer, and it was only when they had all started eating that his recital came to an end.

--X--

Karleena was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, her legs crossed, eyes closed and her hands resting gently on the knees. She was completely motionless, so much so, that even her breathing was barely noticeable and her heart rate had reduced in speed. She was reviewing all the information that she had obtained so far, and was determined to arrange the facts into some sort of order.

The gateway itself was an enigma. Where had it come from? It could not have been there long. Kenton had only just returned from a trip selling produce in the last few days, and he would have mentioned it if it had been there then. Then there was everything else that she had been told. It didn't quite fit together, she was missing something, and whatever it was, that missing fact was preventing her from making sense of it all.

She remained quite still for most of the morning, puzzling over all that she had heard, until quite suddenly, her eyes shot open.

"Of course, that's the only way it could make sense," she muttered aloud.

She took a deep breath and relaxed. Looking round, she realised that she had been sat for much longer than she had intended, and she had much to do before Jayan and Kenton's expected return after lunch. She began to get to her feet, and then fell back again, landing on the floor with a bump. Her head was spinning, and mixed in with the faintness, was an odd feeling of joy and exhilaration that she could not quite place. She shook her head as the sensation ceased, and paused before trying to stand once more.

This was the second time in as many days that she had experienced something like that, and she did not believe it to be a coincidence, it had to be connected somehow. She gave a rueful smile, she may have solved one mystery, but she had now replaced it with another.

This time, she made it to her feet and headed back to the kitchen. She had not been there long when she stopped what she was doing and turned to face the door to the hallway as it opened to reveal Bobby and Uni on the other side. She had heard their approach and was at the boy's side in an instant, leading him to a seat. The Barbarian didn't speak. He just placed his club on the floor before sipping at the juice she had handed him, his eyes focused on the glass.

Karleena observed quietly from the chair next to him, while absent-mindedly stroking Uni's head. She was concerned about him. It was not good for him to keep everything locked away. She had yet to hear him utter a sound since his arrival in Letion, and from what little she had found out about the Barbarian, she suspected that it would be a very explosive outburst when he did finally speak. The sooner Bobby let his feelings be seen the better.

She waited until he had finished his drink before she spoke.

"Your friends have been telling me what happened to you sister," she said softly.

Bobby froze, but did not answer. She reached forward and removed the empty glass from his hand before she continued.

"You loved her very much, didn't you?"

This time, she saw the Barbarian twitch, but he still remained silent. She prepared herself, knowing that it would not take much more for the boy to snap, and when he did, she had to be ready. He may only be a child, but she had not made the mistake of underestimating what he could do. She was well aware of the danger she would find herself in if he were able to use his club given his current state of mind.

"You must miss her," she added.

She noticed his body tense again, and his hands clenched into fists, but he still had not uttered a sound, and apart from that one small movement, he remained motionless. At the same time, the baby unicorn darted from her position under the table to take refuge in the corner of the room.

"Sheila would not have wanted you…"

It was fortunate that Karleena had been ready. Bobby moved so quickly that his chair was sent toppling over as he reached for the weapon at his side, his eyes blazing with anger, but she was faster. She kicked the club out of reach and grabbed his wrists, spinning him round so that he was restrained with his back against her front to avoid his feet as he kicked and screamed, trying to free himself from her grasp.

She was much stronger than would have been guessed from her appearance, but Bobby was putting up more of a fight than she had expected, and she found it difficult to maintain her hold. He struggled violently, but it was in vain. She would not release him, no matter how hard he fought and eventually he stopped, and she felt his body relax, as his screams were replaced with sobs. She then gently lowered him to the ground, going down with him, and cradled him as he cried for his sister.

--X--

Hank sat looking over his shoulder as Kenton and Jayan headed back over the field, leaving the four of them alone by the stream. So this was it, time to tell them about his dream. Yet he remained unmoving, watching the retreating figures of father and son, knowing what he had to do, but not knowing where to begin. He ran through his decision again. He didn't have to tell them, he could keep quiet; they didn't need to know, did they? He closed his eyes. No, he had been through this already; he had made his mind up. No secrets. He had to tell them. He turned to face his three friends to find they were staring at him, unaware that they had been trying to get his attention.

"Hank, are you OK?" Presto asked.

He met their gaze for a few seconds, and then lowered his head before responding.

"No, not really," he paused, and then continued. "I… I've got something to tell you."

He raised his head to look at them once more.

"It's about what happened to Sheila."

He noticed the Acrobat release her grip on Eric's cloak that was resting on her knee, but dismissed it from his mind.

He had their full attention. There was no turning back now.

Eric, Diana and Presto listened in silence as he told them everything, beginning from the point two days ago, when he had woken to find Sheila at his side. He told them nearly every detail, his feeling of déjà vu, the Thief's faith in him, her firm belief that he would remember in time, and only omitted the brief instant where he had held Sheila in his arms upon first waking.

Those last two mornings with her were the closest they had ever been. He had held her so tightly, wanting to keep her safe, not wanting to let her go and she had placed her arms around him, pulling him close to her in return. A private moment between the two of them, and that was the way it would remain. Despite the circumstances, it was a memory he would always cherish, and not one he was prepared to share with anyone. Apart from this, he missed nothing out, and he continued until he reach the part where he had heard Sheila's scream, and the details of the dream that had eluded him had come flooding back. As he reached the end of his narration, he placed his head in his hands.

_Why did I tell them?_ he thought bitterly. He could not look at them, could not bear to see the accusation, the hurt and the anger in their faces. He had lost Sheila, and now he had lost their friendship too. He deserved nothing less after letting them down so badly.

After several minutes he felt someone touch his shoulder, while someone else took his hands in theirs.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Hank, it wasn't you fault," Diana said softly.

He looked up to find her kneeling in front of him. Presto was stood at her side, which meant the person behind him, resting their hand on his shoulder was Eric, a fact he confirmed with a quick glance. This wasn't what he had expected. Why were they so calm? He had assumed they would be furious with him, or at the very least, disappointed, but instead they were being so kind, so understanding.

Hank just sat there, not trusting himself to say anything. He closed his eyes to fight the tears that were threatening to fall. Time seemed to stand still. He had no idea how long he remained there, grateful for their mute support, but still doubting that he had done anything to earn it. Eventually he had composed himself enough to be able to move once more, and he opened his eyes to look at his friends. The Acrobat gave him a sad smile as she met his gaze, one which he forced himself to return, thankful that for now, words were not required.

After some time he recalled that Diana had been holding the Cavalier's cloak, and saw that it was now in Presto's hands instead. _Why isn't Eric wearing it,_ he wondered. He stared at the Magician, who glanced down to see what he was looking at. Diana reached up, and took the cloak from Presto and once again placed it in her lap.

"We have something to show you," she said, looking first at Presto, and then at Hank.

Slowly, she unwrapped the object concealed by the red material, taking care not to actually touch the stone inside. When the gem was revealed, the Ranger and the Magician stared, wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"It's the crystal!" Presto exclaimed.

Hank blinked, and shook his head in disbelief.

"Where did you find it?" he asked.

"Jayan had it," Eric informed them.

"Have you tried it?" Hank queried.

"No, not yet," Diana replied, "We thought we should wait until we were all together."

Hank noticed that they were all looking at him, waiting for him to determine their next move.

"OK, let's see if this thing works," he said. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will," Diana volunteered, and reached for the crystal.

The others watched as her hand closed around the stone, wondering what she would see. Hank just hoped that this would finally be it, that the crystal would show her the way home so they could get out of the Realm, away from the place which had taken Sheila from him. He watched the expression on her face, trying to read it as she stared straight ahead. The best word he could think of to describe it was one of complete astonishment. For a second, he thought that she could see what they needed her to, but what she did next proved him wrong.

She threw the gem down in disgust.

"That is never going the happen," she fumed.

"What did you see?" the Magician asked.

"Nothing," she snapped.

"Nothing," Eric replied, "Yeah right."

"I assume that whatever you saw, it wasn't a way home," Hank interrupted.

Diana nodded, "I'm sorry Hank."

"It doesn't matter," he assured her, "who wants to go next."

"Why don't you try Hank," Presto suggested.

He nodded, and leaned over to pick up the crystal from where it had landed.

"Hank, NO!" the Acrobat shouted.

But it was too late; he already had the gem firmly in his grasp.

In the instant before his fingers had first touched the stone, he had realised that he would not be shown the way home. Instead he found himself gazing at the vision of a girl with red hair and green eyes, the girl he had loved, the girl he had failed. He sat motionless, clutching the gem, torn between the pain he felt from being confronted with her image, reminded of what he had lost, contrasting with the longing he felt, being able to look at her for one last time.

The tears that he had managed to fight before were back, but he could not close his eyes to stop them this time, as that would mean he would no longer be able to look at her. She was so beautiful, standing before him, tiny blue and lilac flowers threaded through her hair, and a smile on her face as her eyes met his. He felt the first tear trickle down the side of his face.

"Hank."

A voice called from far away.

"Hank!"

Louder this time, and someone was touching his hand, prising his fingers open, and then the vision was gone, the crystal lay on the ground in front of him.

"Hank, are you OK," Diana asked.

He couldn't look at her; he couldn't face any of them right now. Without saying a word, he got to his feet as quickly as he could, and headed away from them, over the field and back towards the farm.

--X--

The three friends watched as the Ranger disappeared from view.

"We should go after him," Eric said, standing up to follow him.

"No, leave him," Diana advised.

"What did he see?" Presto asked.

Diana and Eric turned to look at him.

"You can't guess?" the Cavalier replied.

"The crystal will show a person that which they most desire," Diana quoted.

"Even if that something is no longer possible," Eric added sadly.

Presto looked from one to the other, and then understood what they meant.

"Sheila," he whispered.

The Acrobat nodded.

"We should go back to the farmhouse," Eric suggested, "Hank will head back there when he's ready, right?"

"Yeah," Diana agreed.

Eric walked to the waters edge to retrieve his shield, and spotted the golden bow lying beside it. He fasten his own weapon to his back, then picked up the one belonging to their leader and the three of them made their way back towards the farmyard.

--X--

Venger was on route to one of his fortresses, once again astride the black nightmare, his mood as dark as his stead. Things had not gone well in Tremati. He had planned the town's complete destruction, right down to the last detail. There were to have been no survivors, a testament for others as to what would happen to those foolish enough to defy him.

While the town's structures had indeed been eliminated, the people had escaped, prepared for his attack, and protected by another force at work, the origin of which he had been unable to detect. He had wanted blood, and it had been denied him. He let out a yell of frustration, sending a blast of energy hurtling at the ground as he did so. It exploded, creating a smouldering crater, where just moments before, there had been a small collection of trees.

It was then he felt it, the slight shift in power, almost undetectable, but stronger than the first time he had experienced it, which told him Deona's crystal was being used once more. He cried out again in anger, and then turned his stead towards the fire-gate he had constructed only the day before, and to Letion Plains which lay beyond it.

As he neared the valleys edge, the nightmare swooped down and landed on the spot where he had left his creation. He let out a howl as he surveyed what remained of his efforts, and hastily dismissed the beast he had just dismounted, knowing he would likely destroy it in his rage if it remained, and the creature had its uses. He stood on the stone step that had led to the entrance to the fire-gate. The fallen masonry was all that was left, it had been completely destroyed. The rocks surrounding it were scorched, and all the vegetation in the area had gone. In his dismay, he fired at the fragments of rocks, blasting them into dust, cursing Dungeonmaster and his pupils as he did so.

He stopped suddenly, his eyes coming to rest on something out of place on the ground in front of him. He summoned the object towards him with a thought, and turned it over in his hand as he inspected it. His face broke into a cruel grin before he discarded the chard fragment. He could waste no more time here, he needed to get to Letion and retrieve the gemstone quickly. There was a flash of red light, and as the smoke cleared, the platform was once again deserted.

--X--

Karleena was sitting on the stone floor of her kitchen comforting the boy in her arms as he sobbed. Uni had crept out of the corner where she had hidden and was now resting her head on the Barbarian's lap, and for the first time since encountering the gateway, Bobby responded to her presence by resting his fingers on her nose. As his crying eased, he looked at the little unicorn.

"Uni," he whispered, blinking away his tears as he spoke.

It was the first time Karleena has heard him speak since his arrival, and she was relieved. This was a sign that he had at least begun to acknowledge the traumatic events that has occurred on his journey to Letion. She continued to silently sooth him, and after a while he moved his position. She released him, allowing him to twist around so he could see who had been holding him. The look on his tear stained face as he studied her was one of bewilderment, as though he was seeing her for the first time. The Barbarian had not appeared to have been consciously aware of anything since she had met him, and so she believed it to be entirely possible that he really did have no idea who she was.

"Are you Deona?" he asked with a puzzled frown.

Of all the things he could have said, that was the last thing she had expected. Completely unprepared for his question, Karleena could only stare at him, rendered mute in her surprise. _How could this child know of my connection with Deona_, she asked herself. The only person she had ever told about her past was her husband, and she was sure that he would not have revealed her secret to anyone. Bobby spoke again, interrupting her thoughts.

"Are you OK?"

Karleena blinked a few times in quick succession to clear her head, and found the Barbarian was looking at her intently. She finally found her voice.

"How do you know of Deona?" she queried, being careful not to let her agitation show as she spoke.

"Dungeonmaster told us," he replied.

"Dungeonmaster," she repeated with a gasp.

Bobby nodded, but Karleena could see the concern beginning to show in his eyes, and realising that she was alarming him; was quick to reassure him.

"I did not know that anyone still remembered Deona," she explained, and then added, "she was an ancestor of mine, but she has been dead for many years now."

Karleena smiled kindly at him, and then realised that she had yet to tell Bobby her name, an oversight she corrected immediately, but she remained thoughtful. She had been aware that they had come to Letion in search of a way home, but then the conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and she had failed to notice that they had not given any further details about what they had been looking for. Now she knew. They were looking for the crystal, the same thing that she and Kenton had once hoped to find, but had long since given up, believing it truly lost forever. But now it seemed that Dungeonmaster had told them of the stones existence and had actually sent them to Letion to find it. If that were true, and the crystal was in Letion, then, not only was it possible for them to use it find the way back to their own world, but it also meant that her own problem may finally be solved.

These thoughts passed through her mind in an instant and she turned her attention back to the boy in front of her without him appearing to notice her distraction.

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked him.

As she spoke, she saw a brief flash of pain cross the boys face.

"Bobby, what is it," she asked.

"Just something Sheila said before…"

Karleena did not press him further, but stood up, helped the Barbarian to his feet, and sat him gently in another chair at the table, before retrieving the one that he had toppled over. She soon had some food in front of him, and he gradually started talking as he ate, telling her about his sister, how special she had been and how much he missed her.

Karleena didn't look at him as he spoke, instead choosing to appear busy with her work, which served to put Bobby more at ease. She has just made sure that Uni was not left out, having placed a bowl for her on the floor, and was about to get something for herself when she felt it. She grabbed the edge of the table just in time to prevent herself from falling, as similar symptoms to the ones she has experienced earlier hit her, the only difference being the emotion she felt. Instead of the child-like joy and exhilaration, she felt a mixture of happiness and contentment, mixed with disbelief and shock. Then it was gone, just like before, but now she was able to guess the reason behind these odd experiences.

"Karleena, are you OK," Bobby asked.

She nodded in response, but the Barbarian continued to look at her, the worry clearly visible on his face. Karleena knew what the gemstone could do, and she realised that somehow, when it was being held, she was sharing that person's emotional response to the vision they were shown. Given how she herself had been afflicted, being a descendant of Deona's, it made sense, but it was still unexpected.

The first two occasions she had experienced this link were identical, so she surmised that it must have been the same person holding the crystal, which could only mean one thing. Jayan must have found the stone. What she had just felt, although similar, was different enough for her to assume that someone else now had the gem, but she could not guess which of her guests it was, having ruled out the possibility of it being Kenton, as he would not have touched it, but immediately brought it to her instead.

She took a few deep breaths before she spoke.

It's the crystal," she explained. "You know of its power?"

This time it was Bobby's turn to nod as he answered her question.

"Dungeonmaster said it shows wishes."

"That is correct," she agreed, "but it can only show one wish for each person who holds it."

"Just one," the Barbarian repeated.

"Yes, it will show them the one thing they truly want."

Bobby looked at her, and appeared to be thinking something through.

"So someone has just used the crystal?" he asked.

"I believe so," she replied, "I suspect it is one of your friends."

The expression she saw cross his face at this point was a mixture of pleasure and sadness, and she could only imagine his confusion. They were looking for the crystal in the hope that one of them would wish above all else to find their way home, something they would all normally have been very excited about, but now, with one of their number lost, it would no longer have the same appeal. He turned away from her. As he did so, she caught sight of fresh tears running down his face. _The poor child_, she thought. It pained her to see him, and she wondered for a second if she should tell him what she now believed, but quickly dismissed the idea, just in case she was inaccurate in her deductions.

She had no words to offer him in comfort, and instead she took a step nearer to where he sat, planning, once again to put her arms around him while he cried. She picked up her glass from the table as she passed, and took a sip. As she went to place it back down, the wave of dizziness hit her again, but this time the feeling was completely overpowering. The glass fell from her hand and shattered on the solid floor, and she cried out in shock. In intensity, it was comparable to the way she had felt during the incident that had nearly claimed the life of her son all those years ago. The feelings of complete despair, hopelessness and guilt washed over her. Yet, despite the depth of these emotions, she felt something else, even stronger than these combined, as she slid to the ground, clutching her head.

Bobby turned around in time to see her fall, and he and Uni ran to her side.

"Karleena?" he said, his voice shaking.

She was breathing hard, but at least it was over. The person whose emotions she had been privy to must have dropped the stone, and she had an awful feeling that she knew which of them it must have been, and what, or more precisely, who he had seen. She knew from her observations, and earlier conversation, that he had taken what had happened to the Thief particularly hard, and had suspected that he had not just harboured feelings of friendship for her, but she had not realised the full extent of his feelings until now. The Ranger had loved Sheila, really loved her. And now he blamed himself for what had happened.

"Karleena?" the Barbarian asked again.

"I'm OK," she assured him.

"Are you sure," he queried.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied, and smiled at him,

"I'll just clean this up, and then we will go and find you friends," she added.

She began carefully picking up the fragments of glass, thinking as she did so about the boy's friends, and in particular the eldest amongst them. The feelings she had just shared were very strong, and whereas before she had been concerned for Hank, she was now very worried, and was keen to find him as quickly as possible.

--X--

He had no idea where he was going. He didn't care. The emptiness he felt inside was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and he didn't want to feel like that anymore. He kept going, wanting to get away and leave everything and everyone behind. He was not fit to be their leader. He had failed, failed all of them, failed Bobby, failed her, and he would never be able to forgive himself for what he had allowed to happen. Sheila was gone, and nothing would ever be able to make it right.

He continued to run, across the fields, oblivious to his surroundings, until he could go no further. He stopped, his heart pounding painfully in his chest, struggling to catch his breath. He leaned against a tree for support before looking around to find that he was back at the farmyard. Ahead he could see the house where he had left the Barbarian with Karleena, but he made no movement towards it.

He spotted a large building a short distance away in the opposite direction, the same one that Jayan had jumped out from behind when they had first arrived in Letion. It appeared to be a storage barn, and Hank made his way to it, wanting to be alone. He was not ready to face either Karleena, who would be sure to question why he had returned without the others, or Bobby, Sheila's little brother, who he was now entirely responsible for while they remained in the Realm.

The Ranger tried the door and it opened easily. He had been correct in his assumption as to the structures purpose. It was being used to store animal feed, with numerous bags of corn lined up around the edge, and further in, he could make out the hay that would be for the farms horses. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

His head hurt, his chest ached and his eyes were prickling again, tears threatening to fall. He let out a cry of despair, and hit the beam of the door-frame hard with his fist, and then winced as the pain from striking the wood shot up his arm. He leant his head against the door and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, there was a sound behind him. He froze, and then cursed his own stupidity. He had left his bow by the stream and was now completely defenceless.

He turned around slowly to find that he was not alone.

--X--


	7. Chapter 7: Lonely Night

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 7 – Lonely Night**

She was so cold, her head ached, she felt sick, and she could feel the large bruise forming on her left forearm. She opened her eyes briefly, before closing them again with a groan. After a few minutes, she slowly opened them again, trying to remember what had happened, wondering why she felt so numb and why her head hurt so much. She turned her head to one side and screwed her eyes up from the pain caused by the sudden movement. She could see that she was lying on a stone platform, and judging from the debris surrounding her, whatever else had been there had been destroyed. She sat up carefully, using her right arm to support herself and looked around in confusion.

She wished her head did not ache so much, it made it so difficult to think clearly. She placed her icy fingers against her forehead, which eased the pain a little, and she remained motionless for a short time, her eyes closed, trying to figure everything out. She still felt sick, which was not helping, and she did not yet dare to attempt standing. So she remained sitting on the stone floor, going through the possibilities as to what could have happened, trying to recall the details.

There had been a battle. She remembered that. They had been attacked by those bird things just after they had stumbled across that strange arch with the swirling multicoloured mist inside it. Hadn't she been about to step through it? Hank had yelled out, telling them all to go, and she had rushed forward, being the closest to the entrance at the time. She had paused as she got to the threshold, wanting to check that everyone was still OK, and that they would be right behind her. But then what?

The arch was no longer there, that much was obvious, but what could have happened to it? The remains of it were scattered all around the platform, with dust, debris and bits of rock littering the ground. Her thoughts automatically turned to her little brother, and she frowned slightly. This level of destruction had his name written all over it, but the question she was asking herself was - why? What would have made Bobby smash the gateway so completely?

She played it through again in her head, once more arriving at the point where she had been poised to step into the green and blue haze. She had rested her hand on one of the white pillars, her fingers mere millimetres from the mist, and then…

She frowned, desperate to recall what she had done next as she ran through it yet again. It was so frustrating. _So this is how it feels_, she said to herself, thinking back to how annoyed Hank had been with himself about not being able to remember the details from his dreams. She frowned again as she began pondering the Ranger's nightmares. They were connected somehow, playing an important part in what she had done next, she was sure. She was not quite certain how she knew that they were connected, she just – knew.

She ran through it once more. She had touched the doorway, turned her head to check on the others and at that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she had spotted it. One of the columns had been struck by an energy bolt, and the little bit of Hank's dream that he had been able to share with her had suddenly made sense. The gateway was the white entrance with the black mark on one side, and she had known then that she must not take that final step. Instead, she had twisted around to face the damaged pillar, but then she had lost her balance and had fallen back, crying out as she fell. And then there was nothing.

She reached up to feel the back of her head and gave a sharp intake of breath as her fingers caught the edge of a large bump. So that explained the headache, and it also explained why she was struggling to remember properly. She must have hit her head as she fell, knocking herself out in the process.

She licked her lips. Her mouth felt so dry, but her water pouch was missing. She looked around for it for a few minutes before she spotted its remains beside a fragment of what was once a pillar from the archway. She gasped. It had been burnt almost beyond recognition. She then noticed the cliff walls for the first time since regaining consciousness, seeing how they had been scorched, and that all the plants nearby were missing. Smouldering bits of trunk from a few trees were all that remained.

She gave an involuntary shudder. What had happened to the others? Had they been caught up in whatever had happened? Were they OK? She took a few deep breaths. She had to keep calm. She needed to think, and panicking was not going to help. She looked around again, trying to guess what could have led to such total destruction. Her brother may well have smashed the gateway, but that couldn't have caused the other damage, could it? Maybe one of Presto's spells had gone wrong, but that didn't seem likely, at least, not any more. True, when they had first arrived in the Realm, the Magician had found controlling his hat very challenging, but apart from a few minor incidences, he had had no such trouble recently.

A shrill cry directly overhead turned her attention back to her current predicament and she turned her head up to the sky to see something flying towards the spot where she sat. It was one of the bird like creatures from before and she guessed that it must have been attracted by the smoke that was spiralling high into the air. Her head was still spinning, and she just froze, her heart pounding so loudly in her chest, that she was sure the creature must be able to hear it. It had appeared from no-where and there was no time to react as it swooped down, flying so near to her head that she felt the breeze caused by the movement of its wings.

She closed her eyes, and waited, sure that this was it and that she was about to be killed. After a few minutes, she opened them to find that the creature was gone and let out the breath that she had not even been aware of holding. She had to get out of here. It was not a safe place to spend the night; that much was certain. The bird creature might come back, and she did not want to just sit and wait for it. The question was, which way to go? Should she head back the way they had come, to the clearing by the woods, or continue in the direction they had been heading, to Letion?

After a little hesitation, she reached her decision. She would try and find Letion. The clearing was several hours brisk walk away, and if her friends were not there, then it would be at least another two days travelling before she would find signs of civilisation. However, Dungeonmaster had told them that it was possible to reach Letion in a single day, which meant that she should be able to get there before morning. Even if she did not find the others, she would a least find someone.

The fourth sun was just beginning to set, but two of the Realms three moons were shining brightly above, so she could see the path easily. It had been noon when they had been attacked, so she knew that she must have been unconscious for several hours. She gradually got to her feet, struggling to maintain her balance as she stood. She shivered as a result of the bitter wind that was gradually growing in strength, took a small step and groaned as a fresh wave of nausea hit her. It was going to be a long, difficult journey, but what choice did she have?

--X--

Sheila had been walking for hours. Her body was screaming at her to give up, to just collapse on the ground and not move ever again, but she forced herself to keep going. She would not stop. She couldn't stop. She had to keep going, taking small, careful steps, one at a time. She wished, not for the first time, that she could make quicker progress, but knew that that was impossible.

At first, whenever she had tried to increase her pace, she had nearly lost her balance due to how she felt physically. Now, she could barely place one foot in front of the other for an entirely different reason. The wind was much stronger than when she had left the platform. She had to keep her head down to fight against it, and she was heading directly into it. She kept a firm grip on the edge of her hood with one hand and it was taking all her strength to continue walking. The whistling sound it made was so shrill, and on the few occasions when the wind died down for a few seconds, she would hear the sound of some animal or other, far off into the night.

Once again her thoughts turned to her brother and her friends. She hoped that Bobby was OK and that he was safe. At the very least, she hoped that he was with the others, wherever that may be, and not separated from them as she was. _He'll be fine_, she told herself forcefully, he had to be. He would be with Hank or Diana. They would make sure that nothing happened to him. They would look after him for her and stop him from doing anything rash or stupid.

She wanted to believe this, but she still worried that the Barbarian might be out there somewhere, all alone, or hurt, or trapped, or in some other kind of trouble. Then she remembered the last time that Bobby had been without anyone, when she and the others had been captured. It had been the Barbarian's birthday and he had managed just fine without them. Dungeonmaster had appeared, and given him an amulet to protect him, and helped him to find them in Venger's prison. She looked around now, half expecting their guide to show himself right now and assist her, but to no avail. She remained completely alone.

She shook her head slightly and blinked away a few tears at the same time. She hated this. All alone, not knowing where anyone was, and afraid of being attacked by some creature or other at any moment. It would have been bad enough to find herself without the others in daylight. But this was the middle of the night, and the chill wind was not making it any easier. The only positive she could think of at the moment was that her headache has eased a little, but she still felt sick.

She had tried so hard to stop herself from being scared when she was on her own, telling herself that it was silly and pointless. There had even been the odd occasions in the past where she had determinedly faced her fear head on, like the time that she had wandered off without the others and found Karena. But that had been different. She had done that voluntarily, she had known where her friends were, and she had had Uni with her too. What she was facing now was more like the experience from the Celestial Tower, where Hank had been the one to save her. He had been the one to call out to her, the one who had made her feel safe, the one who had stopped her from being afraid. But Hank wasn't here this time, no one was, it was just her.

She focused her mind on the Ranger and smiled, despite her current fear. She always felt braver when Hank was there, finding his presence reassuring. Of all the people to be trapped in a strange world with, it would have been him she would have picked given the choice. Her thoughts turned to the previous morning, where she had been kneeling by Hank's side when he had woken from his nightmare. The way that she had wrapped her arms around him to comfort him, and the tight embrace she had received in return. He had pulled her so close to him, and she remembered wishing, only for a moment, that he could hold her like that without the bad dreams as a reason.

She had seen the fear in his eyes that he had tried to hide from her, and for a second, something more, maybe? She had been holding his hands as he had tried to recall the details from the dream. He had opened his eyes and moved his hand to stroke her cheek, and then, just for an instant, she has seen it. Or had she imagined it, seeing what she had wanted to see for so long, a look that went way beyond just the concern of one friend for another. She placed her own hand to the cheek that Hank had touched, and sighed.

Suddenly, she found herself staggering backwards, and she landed painfully in a heap, knocked off balance by the sheer force of the last gust of wind. She immediately fixed her attention back on her surroundings and got back to her feet. This was not a good time for her to be daydreaming about what she would like to happen between her and Hank.

She pulled her cloak even tighter around her shoulders, glad of the extra warmth it gave, but it was no use in keeping her hands warm. She could no longer feel her fingers, and her thighs, just above the top of her boots, were numb. It would be so easy right now to stop, fall to the ground and sleep, but she knew that she couldn't do that. The others would be waiting for her. They might even have found Deona's Crystal and know the way home. But then why had they left her behind, hurt and alone. They wouldn't have done that by choice, which could only mean they were in trouble, or…

"No", she said aloud.

She could not think like that. They would be fine, they had to be. She closed her eyes, trying to push away her more frightening ideas. She had to keep going, she had to get to Letion. She just hoped that Hank, Bobby and her friends would be there too.

--X--

Sheila continued following the rough path, hoping that she was still going in the right direction. She had been trying to take her mind off how lonely she felt, so had been doing a lot of thinking as she walked. At first she had concentrated on what she would do when they finally made it home, like run straight to her house to give her parents a big hug, followed by a long relaxing bath in 'hot' water, before re-acquainting herself with the taste of chocolate. But it had not been long before Hank was once again at the forefront of her mind.

Diana kept assuring her that he felt the same way about her as she did about him, and that the only thing preventing him from doing anything about it was being stuck in the Realm. So she found herself wondering what it would be like with Hank as her boyfriend. However, she had soon checked herself, when she realised that she was no longer paying attention to where she was going, and had actually wondered off the path. Although thinking about the Ranger as more than a friend was a nice distraction, it was not a very practical thing to be doing at the moment. After that, she had resolved to stop thinking about home, _and Hank_, and instead began examining her friendship with the others trapped in the Realm with her.

She began with Presto, who like herself was quiet and shy. Of all of them, he was the one most similar to her in temperament. However, although the two of them were alike in this aspect, their personal interests had some distinct differences. The Magicians love of science and mathematics for one thing. She remembered that he had once tried to tell her about something called imaginary numbers, which sounded like utter nonsense to her. How could a number be imaginary? If it had been anyone else describing such things, she would have thought they were joking. But he had been so serious, and had seemed genuinely excited by the whole idea. How anyone could find maths so exhilarating was beyond her.

And then there was his interest in magic. Most people at school had dismissed Presto as a geek, with a strange obsession for performing stupid card tricks, but she was one of the few people who had seen past that, and the two of them became friends, even if the circumstance of their first meeting had been somewhat unusual.

Eric really could be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but this had been the first time that she had experienced it first hand. She hadn't known him very long, and she would have classed him more as an acquaintance at the time, rather than a friend. He had been his usual annoying self that day, and Diana had accused him of being a self-centred imbecile, stating that he only ever did anything if there was something in it for himself, especially where Presto was concerned. In response to this criticism he had decided that he would do something for his friend; that something being he would find him a girlfriend, and he had selected Diana's new best friend as the ideal candidate.

If he had then gone about trying to pair them off in a more conventional way, it wouldn't have been so bad, but Eric being Eric had done it all wrong. He had proceeded by locking the two of them in a store cupboard together, with no more substance to his plan than that they would be sure to hit it off. Thankfully, he could not resist gloating to Diana about what he had done, and she had come and rescued them, but that had been over three hours later.

At the time she had been mortified, but as she looked back on it now, she could see the funny side and she smiled. From there, she turned her thoughts to the Cavalier. Poor Eric, when he got it wrong he did it in style. There really was no in-between with him. He could go from being funny one minute, then vicious the next, or have moments where he was either incrediblibly stupid or completely inspired. She ran through in her head some of the more extreme things that she had known Eric to have done or said since she had known him.

She smiled again as she focused on more recent events that had occurred in the Realm and found that as she got nearer to the present, then more often that not, the Cavalier's antics seemed designed specifically with Diana in mind, which had the result of turning her thoughts in a new direction.

The Acrobat would never admit it, but Sheila was sure that she secretly loved the attention that she had been receiving from Eric. The two of them certainly had what could be described as a rather stormy relationship, and as far as the Thief could tell, the pair delighted in their daily verbal battles. The concept of arguing for fun seemed very strange to her, but Diana and Eric had almost turned it into an art form, each trying to outdo the other with their putdowns and witticisms.

The nature of their bickering had also changed of late. Whereas before, the Cavalier had been hurtful or insensitive, blurting out the first thing that came into his head, he was now much more careful, selecting his words for maximum impact without being cruel. The Acrobat had reacted to this change, and Sheila could see that she enjoyed pitting her wits against Eric, and on some occasions, she had been the one to start the fight.

Sheila wondered to herself exactly where this was leading. She believed that Eric had had a thing for Diana for quite some time, but she honestly didn't know what her friend's true thoughts and feelings were about him. She even doubted that Diana knew herself.

A noise suddenly caught her attention, and she listened carefully trying and decide what it could be. It sounded like running water, so she guessed that there must be a river close by. At the same time, she realised that she had actually increased her pace a little due to the strong wind having now ceased, to be replaced by a light breeze.

She then stared straight ahead, squinting into the darkness having spotted something on the horizon. She was sure that there was something there, but the moons were concealed behind the clouds, making it difficult to see. At that moment one of the moons was partially revealed, allowing her a clearer view of what lay ahead. There was definitely a building of some kind, and her heart leapt. Finally, some sign that she was nearing civilisation.

She headed towards the structure and had not gone much further when she came across the water that she had heard in the form of a stream cutting across the path. She knelt down by the waters edge, and using her hands, scooped up some of the cool water to quench her thirst. After repeating the action several times, she then splashed some of the water onto her face. She then reached into her pocket, having just remembered that she had saved a little bit of food from lunch.

It was a habit that she gotten into recently, taking some of the leftover's and keeping them for later. She had started doing this when she had noticed that Eric, Bobby or both would often be complaining that they were hungry between meals, and this way they were easily satisfied without continually bothering Presto. She didn't particularly feel like eating as she was still feeling a little queasy, but she knew that she had to keep her strength up, so she forced herself to bite into the fruit in her hand.

Despite the cold, she found the food, the drink and the wash helped to revive her a little, but she was still feeling very tired. She closed her eyes for a moment and sat quite still wondering again what could have happened to her friends, her brother and Hank. She didn't know what she would do if something had happened to them. What if they were in real trouble and it was up to her to get them out of it? What if she made a mistake? What if she couldn't even find them?

Of all the things that had happened in the Realm, this had to be the worst ever. But even as that bitter thought entered her head, she found herself recalling events that she had found to be far worse. Like the time that Bobby had been poisoned and she had feared for his life. Then, only a few days after he had recovered he had been captured and she had accused Hank of being involved in his disappearance, along with a whole host of other crimes.

Even now, she shuddered when she remembered that day. The Ranger had assured her more than once that it was OK, and had pointed out that if she had not done what she had, then the results for the Barbarian would have been disastrous, but she still wished wholeheartedly that she could take back some of the things that she had said.

And then there had been their encounter with The Darkling, a memory that still made her blood run cold. That night was when she had come to know with absolute certainly, that her feelings for the Ranger were not just a school girl crush, but something much more. Not being with him as she wanted was one thing, but him not being there at all had been unbearable.

She had not even confided in Diana about her feelings during the time that Hank had been missing, and had avoided being alone with her to prevent the Acrobat from being able to question her on the subject. While outwardly, she had managed to keep it together, knowing that her brother needed her, on the inside, she had gone to pieces, and if she had tried talking to anyone, then she knew she would have become a quivering wreak, of no use to anyone. Thankfully, everything had worked out fine in the end. The Darkling had been defeated, and Hank along with nearly one hundred other people had been rescued.

The only problem now was that she had no idea if Hank cared for her like she did for him, but she quickly scolded herself for thinking about this now. She should be worrying about finding the others, not dwelling on her own relationship issues. She opened her eyes and brushed a stay strand of hair out of her face. Something struck her as being not quite right as she did this, and it took her a few seconds to realise what it was. She had not seen the hair, only felt it. She was still invisible!

How could she have not notice before! It wasn't like she hadn't known that her hood was still up. She had even had to hold the edge of it earlier to keep it in place when battling against the strong winds. And there had been no reflection in the stream when she had leaned over to collect the water in her hands. The problem was that she had become used to it to the point that she no longer thought about it, in the same way that a person takes walking for granted.

Everything suddenly fell into place. The reason that the others had left her behind at the remains of the archway was because they had not been able to find her. She had not even considered that possibility, having not made the conscious connection that her hood being up meant that she could not be seen. She lowered it now, and let the breeze blow through her hair. It was the first time her invisibility had worked against her, and it felt odd, as though her weapon had somehow let her down. She could now sympathise unreservedly with Presto, for all those times when his hat had not produced quite what he had expected.

As she thought about it, she started to reverse her original ideas in her mind. She had been thinking about all the terrible things that could have happened to her friends, and now she realised that they had probably been having the same thoughts about her. There were only two reasons as to why they would have left her behind. The first being that they had been unable to search for her, which she could not bring herself to believe, but that left her with the second possibility. They must have believed that she had been killed during the attack, or by whatever had caused the destruction of everything surrounding the step where the archway had stood.

To her horror, she realised that she was actually hoping that her friends believed her to be dead, as this would mean that; at least physically, they would by OK. She got to her feet with a renewed determination to resume her journey. She was soon close enough to see that there was more that one building ahead and was also relieved the see that they were much closer than she had initially thought.

As she drew nearer she slowed down and pulled up her hood. The first structure appeared too large to be a house, so she continued past it, stopping when she reached a large courtyard. She looked around, wondering where she could be. There were a number of buildings of varying sizes, and her eyes came to rest on the only one that looked like it could be someone's home. She moved towards it and walked noiselessly around its perimeter, pausing against the only open window to listen for any sign of life from within. She could hear breathing, the steady rhythmic sound of someone who was sleeping, so she peered into the room, but it was too dark for her to be able to see anything.

_At least I know that it is a house_, she thought. She stepped back and then looked up at the sky. Judging for the position of the moons, she guessed that it was about another hour until the first of the Realms suns would make an appearance. She stood for a minute or two before deciding that whoever lived here would be unlikely to appreciate being woken at such an early hour, so instead she moved away to try and find somewhere to rest awhile.

She tried the door to the neighbouring building, and the movement of the door startled the horses inside. The sound of them neighing in alarm was so loud in the relative silence of the night and she hurriedly retreated, hoping that she had not disturbed anyone. She continued walking around the courtyard, trying different doors, but found most of them to be locked.

Eventually she tried one of the largest buildings and was hit by the smell of dried grass as she opened the door, which caused her to sneeze a couple of times. She step inside and after a brief look around decided that it seemed safe enough, so selected a spot near the back to lie down. She closed her eyes, just for a moment, but by now she was so exhausted that within seconds she was in a deep sleep.

--X--

Sheila awoke with a start, and was instantly on the alert. She blinked a few times to acclimatise her eyes to her surroundings, got silently to her feet and stood completely motionless, listening carefully, as the door closed softly, confirming her suspicions that someone had just entered the barn. Only a few seconds later she heard an anguished yell, followed by a dull thud and then a sharp hiss. She quickly located the source of the disturbance, and upon recognising the figure, she darted forwards, pulling back her hood at the same time, not caring in the least that the noise she made had alerted him to her presence.

Relief washed over her, and she watched as Hank slowly turned around to face her. Their eyes met, and Sheila knew immediately that something was wrong. The way he was staring at her was so odd, it seemed so distant somehow. She began to feel apprehensive, fearing that something had happened to the others.

"Hank, what's wrong?" she asked shakily.

She saw his cold expression waver for a fraction of a second at the sound of her voice, but then it was back, and he was staring at her once again. She found it unnerving, the way he was silently looking at her, as though he could see right through her. She didn't understand what was happening, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Hank, what is it? Is everyone OK? Is Bobby OK?"

He continued staring at her, but after a long, uncomfortable silence, he responded to her questions.

"They're fine," he snapped, and then, almost as an afterthought, he whispered, "I'm the one who's not".

She felt a slight sense of relief from learning that everyone was OK, but then why was Hank acting this way? She took a step forwards, and the Ranger jumped back so that he was leaning against the door.

"Stay away from he," he hissed.

She hastily retreated as she felt the tears beginning to form, hurt by his reaction. She watched him, unsure what to do next, and puzzled by his behaviour. He had closed his eyes and was shaking his head slightly. She could hear him muttering something to himself, so she crept closer to enable her to make out what he was saying.

"It's not real. It's in your head."

_What's not real_, she wondered. He wasn't making any sense.

Hank carried on talking, as though he had forgotten she was there.

"You're imagining things. She's gone. She's not really here."

"Hank," Sheila said softly.

He opened his eyes and seemed startled to find her standing directly in front of him.

"Please, leave me alone," he begged. "You're dead. Please don't haunt me."

It took a few seconds for what he had just said to register, but then her confusion was replaced by concern, as she realised why he had been acting so strangely. He believed that she was a ghost or something, come back to torment him.

The Ranger was still staring at her, with an odd expression on his face. She had never seen him look like that before. He seemed so defeated. She reached for him slowly, wanting to reassure him that she was real and not just some figment of his imagination, but she froze, mid-movement, before her hand came into contact with him upon hearing him gasp.

His eyes were no longer focused on her face, but on her outstretched arm instead, so she shifted her own gaze to match his. She almost cried out herself when she saw the deep purple and blue mark covering a large area on her lower left arm. She had known that it had been bruised, having felt it while she had still been invisible, but she had not taken the trouble of examining it since removing her hood. It certainly looked far worse than it actually felt.

She watched as Hank cautiously reached forward, his hand searching for hers. He gave a small cry as his fingers brushed against hers and she stole a quick glance at his face. She was relieved to see that the anxious and lost look that she had seen moments ago had gone, replaced with one that appeared to be a mixture of relief and concern. She felt him gently taking her arm in his hands and he slowly raised his head until his eyes met hers.

They stood completely still, gazing at one another until Hank finally managed to speak, his voice barely a whisper.

"Sheila?"

She smiled in response, and the next second she found herself in his arms. She had tears in her eyes, but she didn't care, and she let them fall freely as she relaxed into his warm embrace. He held her tightly as he spoke, his voice shaking slightly.

"I thought I'd lost you."

She didn't know how long they stayed that way. Seconds, minutes, hours. Time lost all meaning as they clung to each other, caught up in the moment. He murmured her name softly into her hair, and she gave a small sigh as she pushed herself closer to him.

She didn't want to move, but she knew that they both needed answers. She pulled away from him gently and he released her, but only as far as her hands, keeping them held firmly in his own. He then led her to some of the sacks of grain stacked around the edge of the building, sat her down on one and then seated himself beside her.

"Sheila, what happened? How did you sur…"

He paused, seeming to find it difficult to put his thoughts into words, but she waited for him to continue.

"How did you survive those flames?"

She looked at him in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about.

"What flames?" she asked.

"The ones inside the arch as you stepped through" he replied, looking equally perplexed.

Now she was really puzzled. The archway had contained a thick mist, not flames. Or at least it had the last time she had seen it. Then she remembered the scene that had greeted her when she had first regained consciousness; the complete devastation, the burnt vegetation and the blackened cliffs.

"I… I didn't," she told him, and then seeing his reaction, she hastily added. "I mean, I didn't step through."

She knew that she was missing something, and he appeared as bewildered as she did, so they started again, beginning from the point where they had last seen each other during the battle with the bird creatures.

She shuddered when he described how he had heard her scream, only to look up to see a raging furnace in place of the mist, and he pulled her closer to him, with the arm that he had placed around her shoulders without her even noticing. Then, when he found out that she had been lying on the platform all along and that he had left her behind, it was her turn to reassure him.

Eventually they both understood what had taken place and they sat there together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Sheila was contemplating just how close a call it has actually been for her. It could so easily have been her that had been incinerated instead of the water pouch that had flown from her hand as she had fallen. There were so many 'what ifs' connected to her escape. What if Hank had never had the warning dreams? What if he had not been able to remember them? What if he had chosen not to confide in her about them? What if she had fallen forwards, not backwards? What if the Cavalier had not expanded the protection of his shield far enough to include the spot where she had lay?

She reached up to her shoulder and took the Rangers hand in her own, needing the extra comfort. At the same time, she lifted her head that she had been leaning against him and turned to look at him.

"Are you OK?" he asked softly.

She smiled at him as she answered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? Are you alright?"

He was looking so intently at her, gazing deep into her eyes as he whispered his reply.

"I am now."

She felt her face colour at his words, and she quickly spoke in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

"Where are the others? Is Bobby OK?"

"Bobby's sleeping right now, thanks to Karleena," he assured her.

"Who's Karleena?" she asked.

Hank then proceeded to tell her what had happened once they had left the platform, describing their arrival in Letion, their meeting with Jayan and the kindness they had been shown by the little boy's parents. He missed nothing out, and was honest enough to confess that he had not slept last night, but that Karleena had then taken matters into her own hands by forcing both him and Bobby to sleep.

Sheila had the feeling that she was going to like this family from everything that he told her, particularly the woman who had taken such good care of the two people dearest to her heart. She listened as he continued, telling her about setting out with Presto that morning, and how they had joined Eric and Diana by the stream. At that point he stopped and sat quietly for a while, apparently contemplating what to tell her next.

The Thief watched him in silence as he stood up and began walking back and forth across the floor. She began absentmindedly playing with the clasp on her cloak in an attempt to settle her own nerves as she waited, wondering what he was about to say next. After a few minutes the Ranger had composed himself to go on. He informed her that the others now knew about his dreams too, and also how understanding they had been when he had told them. She smiled at him, knowing how difficult he must have found such a task, especially with what he believed to have happened to her at the time. He smiled himself, as he met her eyes, breaking the current tension.

He walked back over to where she was sitting.

"What happened after that?" she asked him.

"Diana and Eric showed me The Deona Crystal," he replied simply.

"You found it!" she screamed. "Does it work?"

"Yes, it works," he confirmed.

"Does that mean you know the way home?" she queried, struggling to contain her excitement at the thought of the possibility.

"No, it didn't show me that," he replied slowly.

Sheila noticed the hesitation in his voice and saw his smile fade as he spoke. She looked at him intently, while her fingers once again toyed with the fastening on her cloak. She glanced down at her hand as a thought came to her. She was wearing her cloak, but…

"Hank, where's your bow?"

The Ranger appeared rattled by her unexpected question, but she stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"I… I left it behind," he admitted awkwardly.

"You left it behind!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet. "Where?"

He refused to meet her eyes as he answered.

"By the stream."

"But why?" she asked.

"I was… distracted," he told her, and then after a slight pause, he added, "by the crystal."

She stared at him incredulously. She couldn't believe it. Hank always had his bow with him. Always. He wouldn't just leave it somewhere - unless….

She began to wonder what the crystal could possibly have shown him that was so awful. After all, weren't his recent dreams actually caused by the gemstone? What if he had seen something even worse? Despite his obvious discomfort, she had to ask.

"What did you see when you held the crystal?"

He closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Sheila, please don't ask me that."

"I have too," she replied.

"I can't tell you," he whispered.

"Hank," she pressed.

"No," he said a little sharply.

She knew that she should leave it, at least for now. But she couldn't. He must have seen something really terrible, and she was starting to worry. So she continued to push him.

"Hank, please. You're starting to scare me," she pleaded.

He opened his eyes.

"I said NO," he stated flatly, his voice raised.

"Hank, tell me," she demanded in return.

"It was you," he snapped loudly, and then in a much softer voice, he added, "I saw you."

Their eyes met for a moment before he turned away to stand with his back to her.

The Thief stood routed to the spot as she slowly took in what has just happened. The crystal was supposed to show them how to get home wasn't it? But he had seen her instead. She thought back to the last time that they had seen Dungeonmaster, trying to remember exactly what he had told them in his riddle. _A gemstone that has the ability to show a person that which they most desire_, but then…

Her eyes widened as she realised what this meant. Hank desired her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She focused her eyes on the figure before her. She could see him breathing, quick short breaths like her own as he tried to calm himself. She needed to let him know that it was OK; that she shared his feelings, and she smiled at the bold idea that entered her head on how she could do just that. Without making a sound, she moved until she was directly behind him, and then, standing on tip-toe, she whispered into his ear.

"Be careful what you wish for Ranger. You might just find you get it."

She heard him gasp and saw that he was now holding his breath. But he remained motionless, his back still towards her. _What have I done?_ She thought in alarm. What if she had got it wrong? What if…

The Ranger suddenly spun around with such speed that he caught her off guard, and she lost her balance. His arms surrounded her in a flash, preventing her from falling as he pulled her towards him. She cautiously raised her eyes to meet his and her heart fluttered when she saw exactly how he was looking at her. It was the same look that she had seen fleetingly only once before, but there was no mistaking it this time. She felt that she could lose herself in his eyes, such a perfect shade of blue, as they gazed into her own, getting gradually nearer and nearer. She slipped her arms around him and her eyes closed as his lips met hers in their first kiss.

Her eyes stayed closed for a moment as he lifted his head away from her. Her arms were still locked around his waist and he continued to hold her tightly in his embrace as her eyes opened. He had such a wonderful expression on his face. He sighed contentedly, and she squeezed her arms a little tighter around him in response.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

She felt a wave of emotions. He loved her. Hank loved her. She smiled at him as she replied, her own voice hushed.

"I love you too, Hank."

She felt him pull her closer to him, and she delighted in the way she could see the emotion in his eyes at her words. She had never felt this happy before, so content, standing with Hank's arms around her, safe and secure in the knowledge that he loved her. She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. She could still taste him. With a renewed confidence, and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she smiled at him as she spoke, her voice a little breathy.

"Now kiss me again."

He raised his eyebrows at her brashness, but quickly obliged, bending his head towards her once more.

Their first kiss has been wonderful, but brief, over in an instant, a mere brushing of lips, each a little uncertain of the other. Now there was none of that initial apprehension, and they clung to one another as their kiss deepened, neither one wanting it to end. Sheila felt one of Hank's hands trace the curve of her spine to her neck and beyond, until his fingers were tangled in her hair. She sighed into his mouth as she leaned even closer to him, wrapping her arms even tighter around him.

There was a sound outside, but she resolved to block it out. Nothing was going to be allowed to spoil this magical moment. Whatever it was, it could wait.

Suddenly she heard a voice yelling out.

"Letmego, letmego."

It sounded like a child screaming, and then there was a man's voice.

"NO!"

The pair inside the barn broke apart reluctantly, their faces slightly flushed, no longer able to ignore the obvious commotion outside. There was then the sound of a third person joining in.

"You heard the kid. Let him go!"

The both recognised the last speaker's voice immediately.

"ERIC!" they chorused in unison.

"What's he gone and done now," said Hank with annoyance.

"I guess we'd better go and find out," Sheila replied.

The Ranger nodded, but then he added.

"What do you say to continuing this later?"

"Promise?" she said a playful smile on her lips.

"Try and stop me," he whispered with a grin.

Then, grabbing her hand, he led her to the door and pushed it open carefully. Sheila quickly flicked up the hood of her cloak with her free hand and glanced up at Hank, awaiting instructions. He in turn looked in her direction, and she felt him squeeze her hand gently, as though reassuring himself that she was still there.

The sight that greeted them in the farmyard told them only one thing for certain. They had a problem.

--X--


	8. Chapter 8: Loss and Gain

**The Deona Crystal**

**Chapter 8 – Loss and Gain**

Hank stopped in the doorway of the barn and stared. Dungeonmaster had told them that others were searching for the crystal, others who would stop at nothing to get their hands on it, so it was only a matter of time before Venger showed up. He turned his head to look at Sheila to find that she was no longer there. For a split second he panicked, but then realised that he could still feel her hand in his. He squeezed it gently and smiled when she returned the gesture.

He focused his attention back on the courtyard. Off to one side, near the farmhouse, Karleena, Bobby and Uni were stood, transfixed, taking in the sight before them. Directly in front of him, nearly obscured from his view by the open barn door, he could see Kenton with Diana and Presto. The Acrobat had her staff extended and the Magician's hat was glowing softly in his hands. The Cavalier was standing a little further forwards, his shield raised, a look of determination on his face as he surveyed Jayan's captor in the centre of the yard.

He met Karleena's eye for a second, but quickly realised that she was the only one to have noticed him, a fact that could work in his favour. He looked at Venger as he held the boy high above the ground. Jayan was still kicking and screaming, desperately trying to escape, oblivious to the fact that, should Venger choose to drop him, then it was a long way down to the ground.

Karleena called out.

"Jayan, it's OK. He won't hurt you."

The boy turned his head upon hearing his mother and their eyes met. Hank could see that she was concentrated hard, successfully hiding her fear, and her child ceased struggling and went silent.

"You are sure of that!" Venger bellowed, his tone relaying the threat he intended.

"He no longer has what you seek Venger," she replied, her voice sounding oddly calm. "Let him go."

Venger faced her for a few seconds before he deliberately turned away from her. She had been dismissed, considered of no importance and not worthy of his attention. Hank began assessing the current situation. Venger was immensely powerful but, as usual, he was also overconfident. Even though the others still did not know that Sheila was alive, they were all ready for battle, and he knew he could depend on them to focus on the task in hand.

He looked around, waiting to see what would happen next, wondering who would make the first move, not wanting to give away the advantage he had just yet. Venger seemed to be doing the same, and Hank watched as his eyes surveyed his surroundings until they stopped when they reached the Cavalier. He suddenly looked very pleased about something, and it was only when Eric lowered his own gaze to the golden bow in his hand that the Ranger realised what had amused the wizard. He had not noticed the weapon before, as it was partially concealed behind the shield on Eric's arm, and he began to wonder what conclusion Venger would draw from this.

"You appear to be without your leader," he sneered.

Eric had already opened his mouth to retort back, but Venger continued.

"It seems my fire-gate served a purpose after all."

The Ranger saw the immediate effect that these words had on the four people standing before the wizard. Kenton simply appeared confused, as he had not heard the story of the arch, but the other three has identical expressions of dismay upon learning about the gateways origins and he was sure that Venger would take their reaction to be confirmation of his assumption. For himself, he felt a wave of anger. Venger had been the one to place the fire-gate on the Plains. He had been the one who had come so close to taking Sheila from him.

He gripped the Thief's hand a little tighter, and he felt her place her other hand on his arm. He relaxed a little and turned his head to look at the spot where she must be standing. In doing so, he failed to notice the one remaining person in the courtyard as he processed what Venger had just told them. It was only when the Barbarian ran forward, his club raised high above his head, that Hank realised he had overlooking him.

"**You killed my sister**!" he yelled.

He smashed his club to the ground right in front of where Venger was standing. The shockwave was enough to knock Kenton, Presto, Uni and Karleena off their feet. Venger somehow managed to remain standing, maintaining his hold on the boy at the same time and Diana and Eric also managed to stay upright with some difficulty. Hank and Sheila were able to keep their balance too, being the furthest away from Bobby at the time.

The Ranger could see Venger's rage at being attacked, but could only watch helplessly as the wizard made his move before he, or any of the others had time to react. Venger seized the Barbarian roughly, and the boy dropped his club due to the pressure being exerted on his arm. The wizard now held two children captive, and he looked from one to the other before lowering Jayan to the ground. The smaller boy tried to run to his mother, but Venger quickly encased him in a clear bubble, preventing his escape. He then glowered at the Barbarian before turning his gaze once again towards Eric, Diana, Presto and Kenton.

The change in the Barbarian's situation caused another problem for Hank and it was fortunate that he had been holding onto the Thief's hand so tightly when Bobby had made his move. He felt the pull on his arm as Sheila had tried to rush to her brother's aid. He had only just been able keep hold of her and he quickly pulled her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her to prevent her from doing anything rash.

"Wait!" he whispered, desperately trying to calm her down.

She continued to struggle, and Hank could only hope that the two of them would go unnoticed by everyone else in the farmyard.

"Sheila, I need you to stay hidden," he said frantically.

He felt her relax in his arms, but he maintained his hold on her for a few seconds until he heard her speaking softly in his ear.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Venger will want something in return for Bobby's release," he told her. "Just be ready."

She squeezed his arm by way of reply, and he then let her go. He looked around to see that Karleena, Uni, Presto and Kenton were back on their feet, the latter now standing at his wife's side. He was also relived to see that his odd movements did not appear to have been seen by anyone, with the possible exception of Karleena, who was currently staring at him with a confused expression across her face. But there was no point worrying about what she thought at the moment, she would find out soon enough what he had been doing.

He then walked over to his friends, therefore making his presence known to Venger.

"Release them," he demanded.

The wizard remained silent, and the Ranger could see that he was reassessing his position.

"So, it was your little Thief who met an explosive end," he surmised, smiling cruelly.

Hanks face remained unchanged, but the pain could be clearly seen in the other three as they were reminded yet again of Sheila's absence. It was Bobby however, who reacted the most; crying out and struggling violently, clawing at Venger's hand in a bid to free himself. This only served to make the wizard tighten his hold on the Barbarian's arm. Hank knew that he must be hurting the boy, but Bobby seemed oblivious to the physical pain in his current emotional state and the Ranger allowed his concern to show, appearing visibly upset.

"No!" he called out, as his eyes flitted around wildly.

He then focused on the Barbarian and shouted out again.

"Bobby, stop!"

There was something in his tone that commanded compliance and the boy stopped fighting. The Ranger then addressed Venger.

"Release him."

Venger glared at him before responding.

"Your weapons in exchange for the boy," he offered coldly.

There was a brief pause before Hank answered.

"Agreed."

"What!" Eric exclaimed. "You've gotta be kidding."

"Hank, we can't," Diana added.

Hank didn't say anything else. He knew something that they didn't and there was no way of letting them know about Sheila without giving the game away to Venger too. He just took his bow from Eric and then nodded at Diana. She sighed, but followed his instructions and placed her staff beside Bobby's club at Venger's feet. He managed to catch her eye as she turned to walk back towards them and so was able to silently communicate a wish for her to change direction, which she promptly did, so that she finished up standing beside Kenton and Karleena.

Presto and Eric followed Diana's lead, the latter blatantly showing that he was far from happy about doing so. Finally Hank placed his bow alongside the other four weapons but remained directly in front of Venger as the wizard lowered the Barbarian to the ground. The Ranger quickly grabbed Bobby to prevent him from doing anything to retaliate, but continued to stare at his enemy.

"What about Jayan?" he asked forcefully.

"Our agreement was for one child, Ranger," he growled in response.

Hank scowled, and mentally kicked himself. Venger was right; he had only actually agreed to hand over one boy in exchange for the weapons, not both. The Ranger hesitated for a moment and then backed down and dragged Bobby away, leaving Jayan still trapped and at the wizards mercy. Venger turned slightly and took a step forward so that he was now facing the seven people grouped together with the cowering unicorn. After asking Diana to keep hold of Bobby, the Ranger then moved towards him.

"What do you want, Venger?"

The wizard grinned maliciously as he replied.

"I want the crystal. Give it to me and I will release the child unharmed."

Karleena stepped forward too and drew level with the Ranger.

"Please, do as he asks," she pleaded, taking his arm. "Don't let him hurt Jayan."

"I won't," he said quietly, and then turning his head to face her, he added in a whisper. "It'll be OK, I promise."

She let go of his arm as he addressed his friends.

"We have no choice. We can't let him do anything to Jayan."

They looked at him and although they clearly did not like it, they all agreed with him. The Magician reached into the deep pockets of his green robes and pulled out a bright red handkerchief which Hank surmised must have the stone wrapped inside it. He glanced back at Venger to see he was relishing in his victory. He looked so smug as he watched them preparing to hand over Deona's crystal, the five weapons just behind him, and Jayan still encased in the large bubble at his feet.

Karleena stepped back as Presto reached them so that she was standing between Kenton and the Barbarian. Hank took the stone and the handkerchief from the Magician and signalled for him to re-join the others. He then carefully unwrapped it until only a thin layer of material separated the crystal from his palm.

"Hank, what are you doing?" Diana cried out in alarm.

He looked at her as he replied.

"It's OK. It'll be different this time."

He smiled, picked up the crystal in his other hand and once again was confronted with Sheila's image. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he noticed the details that he had missed the first time around. The tight fitting white dress which showed her curves to perfection and the gold chain around her neck with a heart shaped pendant on it, which looked vaguely familiar. He really loved her. Seeing her looking so happy and contented added to his own joy at knowing that she was safe and the pride he felt about the fact that she was about to steal their weapons back from right under Venger's nose.

He forced himself to concentrate on what he had to do. He could still see her, but he was also able to see the reality around him. He walked boldly over towards Venger to stand directly in front of the trapped Jayan. He could see the shield, the bow and the club behind him, but the staff and the hat were now missing, and even as he watched, the club disappeared. He concentrated hard to stop himself from smiling. He couldn't risk anything that would alert anyone to what Sheila was doing.

He faced Venger and held out the crystal.

"Let the child go," he stated coldly.

Venger surveyed him with distain and waved his arm, releasing the boy from his spell. Jayan ran straight towards his parents as Hank placed the gemstone in the wizard's outstretched hand.

"Enjoy the view," he said in a low voice as he took a step back.

He heard a scream behind him, and turned to see Karleena crash to the ground as the orange crystal began to glow brightly in Venger's hand. A moment later he felt something being pressed into his hand and he closed his fingers around his bow. He whipped back around to face Venger, pulling the first arrow ready as his did so.

Venger was in no state to retaliate. He was frozen to the spot, staring straight ahead at a vision that only he could see. The Ranger sprang forwards with the view of snatching the crystal from him while he was still distracted by the image, but it was too late. There was a bright flash as Venger's hand closed around the stone so tightly that it disintegrated.

Hank cursed, another possible way home gone, just like that. He allowed himself a quick glance at the others and saw a mixed response from them upon seeing the crystal destroyed. Eric looked the most annoyed, but at the same time they were dealing with the fact that their weapons had just 'mysteriously' appeared beside them.

"Move it!" Hank called, and they sprang into action.

The Ranger fired repeatedly at Venger as the Magician, the Acrobat and the Barbarian ran forward to help. Eric adjusted his position so that he was standing over the unconscious Karleena and her family so as to protect them from the fight, but there was no need. Venger saw their approach and chose not to continue this any longer. By the time the other three had drawn level with Hank, the wizard had gone.

Uni bleated in fright at Venger's sudden disappearance, and huddled against Karleena as she came around, and Jayan grabbed at her hand for comfort.

"Another chance gone," Presto lamented.

"Yeah," Diana agreed half-heatedly.

"This one came at too high a price," Eric said bitterly.

They all went silent, and Hank could see the despair in their faces, but it was different this time, they looked far more upset about this failed attempt compared to all their other missed chances and he frowned. He was about to say that they would come across another chance soon, when Presto's next question reminded him of the reason for their increased dismay with a jolt.

"How did our weapons just appear?" he asked, looking to the Ranger for an answer.

He looked startled for a moment and he felt the gently pressure on his arm, telling him where she was. Instead of replying, he looked to his left and smiled proudly. There was a shimmer beside him as Sheila raised her hood.

"That would be me," she said quietly.

Diana and Presto gasped, and the stunned expressions on everyone's faces were almost comical. Her friends, her brother and Kenton could not believe their eyes, and even Jayan seemed amazed by her sudden appearance. The only person, apart from himself, not to have been surprised was Karleena, who smiled at the Thief.

There was a loud crash as the Barbarian dropped his club and ran forward.

"SHEILA!"

She fell to her knees in time to embrace him and Hank could see the tears of joy running down the cheeks of both siblings. The others just watched in a state of complete shock for a few seconds before they too rushed to greet their friend.

As this reunion took place Kenton helped Karleena get back to her feet. Jayan still maintained a tight hold on her as she stood up and he tugged on her arm as he pointed at the Thief with his free hand.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Her name is Sheila," she informed him.

They trio turned to face their latest arrival. Sheila was hugging each of her friends in turn as they bombarded her with questions, all wanting to know what had happened to her and where she had been. She looked like she didn't know where to begin and Hank stepped in to help her.

"Easy guys, one at a time."

The Cavalier suddenly rounded on him.

"You knew!" he exclaimed.

"Knew what?" Hank replied.

"That Sheila was alive," he snapped.

They all turned their attention from Sheila to the Ranger. It was the Thief however who answered Eric's challenge.

"Hank had only just found me in the barn," she told them.

All eyes were now back on Sheila, and Uni was nudging her hand gently with her nose in a bid to get her to say more.

"I was explaining how I got here and Hank told me that you had found the crystal and…"

She stopped abruptly.

"And what?" Bobby asked.

"And then we heard shouting out here and came to investigate," Hank finished.

As the Ranger spoke, the heads of almost everyone turned automatically to face him. He remained focused on Sheila which enabled him to glimpse the shy smile that she flashed at him along with the unmistakable blush across her face. He smiled too, but then quickly looked away so as not to draw attention to her embarrassment. It was too late however, as both Karleena and Diana had been watching the Thief with interest and had seen the way she had reacted. Their eyes met and they exchanged a knowing look before Eric commanded their attention.

"But Sheila, how did you get to be in the barn?" he asked.

"And how come Karleena passed out when Venger held the crystal? Presto queried.

Hank noticed Kenton catch his wife's eye and saw the almost imperceptible nod she gave him before he spoke.

"With so many questions, I suggest that we get some refreshments," he said, "and then we can hear the full story."

He received all round agreement and Jayan let go of his mother's hand as he, Eric and Bobby took a few steps towards the house.

"Hey, wrong way you three," Karleena called as she, and everyone else, set off in the opposite direction.

Kenton and Karleena led the way, and Hank and Sheila quickly caught them up so that the Thief could be properly introduced to the couple. Sheila expressed her gratitude for the kindness that they had shown her friends upon their arrival in Letion and Karleena assured her that it had been a pleasure. Diana was only just behind them at this point and she caused both Hank and Sheila to blush when she took the opportunity to tease them by commenting in a whisper that she was sure that the Ranger would much rather have Sheila looking after him as oppose to Karleena.

After a short walk, they arrived at a large orchard that offered shade from the suns, and more importantly, contained several enormous barrels amongst the trees containing the refreshment that Kenton had referred to. Kenton had already opened one of the containers before he realised that they did not have enough glasses. To save someone a trip back to the house, the Magician put his hat to use and produced nine matching mugs on the first attempt.

The liquid inside the barrels was similar to cider found on Earth but was made from a fruit native to the Realm. Sheila was reluctant to allow Bobby to try any but relented when Karleena agreed to Jayan being allowed a half measure. Once they all had drinks, Karleena and Kenton sat down on two neighbouring tree stumps and everyone else followed their example.

Eric, Diana and Presto chose a large log for a seat, and Jayan quickly squashed himself between the Cavalier and the Acrobat, appearing to have now completely forgotten all about his earlier fright. The Barbarian simply sat on the grass with Uni by his side and Hank and Sheila went for another tree stump. They deliberately opted for the smaller of the two remaining stumps, meaning that they had to squeeze up very close to one another and the Ranger slipped his arm around the Thief's waist as they sat down.

Sheila leaned towards Hank as she began telling everyone what had happened to her, repeating the story that she had relayed to the Ranger earlier. Hank kept a firm hold on the Thief throughout her narrative, half afraid that if he let go then she would disappear again. He listened to what was being said, but as he had heard most of her story already, he found himself focusing more on the soft sound of her voice, the feel of her body pressed against his and the smell of her hair, rather that the actual words she was speaking.

They all appeared upset upon hearing that they had unwittingly left Sheila behind at the gateway and there was a collective sigh when Eric pointed out that the room she had peered into must have been the one where they had all been sleeping. This part of the tale was new to Hank too, and he pulled her a little closer to him as he realised that he had been wide awake at the time, and had even heard the horses when she had disturbed them in the stables.

Even with the numerous interruptions, particularly from Bobby and Jayan asking questions, it seemed like no time at all before Sheila finished her tale and it was Karleena's turn to speak. They were all looking at her expectantly and she seemed to be trying to decide where she should begin.

"I think it would be best if I start from the beginning," she said, taking a deep breath.

"Deona was my ancestor and her crystal was stolen only a short while before she died. It was only after her death that her descendants started feeling the effects of a curse, linked to the stone's disappearance."

"What kind of curse?" the Magician asked.

"It took a different form in each individual," she told them, "but there was no escaping it. In my mother's case, it was the gift of foresight, but it came at a high price. She was only able to predict impending doom, and always when it was too late to prevent disaster."

Karleena sighed and Hank could see that she was obviously finding it difficult to tell them about her past.

"As for me, if someone is about to die when I am close by, then I get what I can only describe as an echo of what is about to happen."

She paused, and looked like she was struggling to find the right words.

"It gets more and more intense, and at the moment of death, I am directly linked to the person, and I share the physical and mental experience with them."

Hank felt Sheila shudder at his side.

"That's horrible," she said quietly.

Karleena turned towards Sheila.

"I had guessed that you had survived, but I could not be sure as I did not know how far the gateway was from here."

The Thief smiled in understanding and Karleena continued.

"Our decision to live here in isolation was not really a choice, more of a necessity."

She looked at her husband and he reached across to her and took her hand.

"We were living in a small village and there was an accident," she explained. "Five people were killed and …"

She broke off.

Everyone remained silent, and Hank could see that they were all thinking the same thing. Being connected to one person as they died in such a way must be terrible, but five people, simultaneously, must have been unbearable.

At this point, Kenton picked up the story.

"Karleena was unconscious for several hours after the incident and she was pregnant with Jayan at the time," he informed them. "The intensity of the feelings she shared nearly caused her to miscarry."

Hank saw Karleena tighten her grip on her husband's hand as he spoke and they both looked across at their son. Jayan didn't really understand the enormity of what had happened to his mother, which was probably for the best, but the pair sat either side of him did. Eric and the Acrobat had both put their arm around the child and were looking at one another. The Ranger was particularly struck with how concerned the Cavalier appeared, and as he watched them he saw Eric move his arm from Jayan and placed it on Diana's shoulder.

"What did you do after that?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence.

Sheila glared at her brother, but he didn't seem to notice.

Karleena shook her head and began again.

"We left soon afterwards and came to the land of my ancestors, Letion Plains," she stated. "The crystal was last seen here, so we thought that this was the best place to come and search for it."

"We had known for some time that if we were able to find the crystal then we could put an end to the curse," Kenton added.

"But Venger destroyed it," Presto remarked.

"Yes," Karleena said with a smile, "which is exactly what we had intended to do with it."

They all looked at her in confusion and she explained further, adding that once she had realised that the stone had been found and that they were also in need of it, then she had planned to allow them all to try it first and then ask them to destroy it with their weapons. She then went on to tell them a little more about the crystal's power.

"The stone was limited to one vision for each individual and the image would have remained the same no matter how many times it was used."

"But what if the persons greatest desire was to change," Presto queried.

"Then the crystal would no longer have worked for them and it would have effectively been useless," she replied.

Next she mentioned her most recent discovery regarding the stone, which was the effect it had had on her when it was touched. Diana in particular looked very uncomfortable when Karleena described how she had shared the emotions of whoever was using the gemstone.

"Did you get to see the image too?" she asked hesitantly.

Before Karleena could respond, Jayan piped up.

"I saw me as a knight."

She smiled indulgently at her son.

"But of course you did," she replied. "That is what you want isn't it?"

Diana now looked positively alarmed, and Hank glanced at Sheila nervously.

The Cavalier and Jayan immediately began badgering Diana, trying to get her to tell them what she had seen but she was refusing to give them any details and was looking pointedly at Hank in a bid to get him to put a stop to it. Unfortunately for the Acrobat, the Ranger was too preoccupied with the hushed conversation he was having with Sheila to even notice her plea.

"Hank, she knows that you saw me in the crystal," the Thief whispered.

"Are you OK with everyone knowing how we feel?" he asked.

She looked at him and smiled, giving him his answer. He didn't want to keep her as a secret, he loved her, and he was so happy knowing that she loved him, that he didn't care in the least about their friend's knowing they were a couple. So, Eric would tease them and Presto might be concerned, but she was worth it.

Karleena remained silent, a hint of a smile on her lips as she watched what was happening. Her eyes fell upon Bobby and Uni, who were both looking at her and seemed puzzled, so she winked at them and grinned. The Barbarian grinned back, then turned to face Diana and promptly added his own voice to Eric and Jayan's requests that she reveal what she had seen. After a few minutes he seemed to grow bored with pestering Diana and instead turned to the Ranger.

"Hank, what did you see?" he asked loudly.

Sheila and Hank immediately turned their heads to look at him and the Cavalier ceased hassling Diana for a moment as he too looked up at Bobby's question. He caught the Ranger's eye and smirked.

"He saw your sister," he said smugly.

"What! No way!" Bobby cried.

Hank glared at Eric before turning his head towards the Thief.

"They're definitely on to us," he whispered.

Sheila just smiled again and leaned a little closer to him.

The Ranger now realised that it was not only Karleena who had known about his vision, as it was obvious that the Magician and the Acrobat, like Eric, had already guessed what he had seen in the crystal. Kenton showed signs of being mildly interested and Jayan just ignored the revelation, dismissing it as unexciting compared to his own vision. The only one who showed any indication of surprise was Bobby, who was now sat staring at them open mouthed.

Her brother's silence seemed to unnerved the Thief as she asked tentatively, "Bobby?"

He looked at her for a moment before he answered.

"Does that mean you'll be kissing and stuff?"

"Oh, all the time," the Cavalier interjected.

"Eric!" the Ranger warned.

The Barbarian turned his nose up and muttered something to the unicorn at his side about Hank going all mushy, but generally seemed accepting of this new development.

"Hey, never mind them," Eric said dismissively. "What about Diana?"

He turned towards Karleena, "What did she see?"

She smiled and informed them that she had not shared their visual experience, only the emotional response that the images had provoked.

"In the cases of Hank and Jayan it was relatively easy to guess what the crystal had shown them," she said, "but all I can tell you about Diana's vision was that it was pleasant, but unexpected."

Karleena looked at the Acrobat as she said this and Diana breathed a sigh of relief once she realised that her secret was safe, at least for now. Everyone seemed resigned to the fact that there was no way she would ever let on, with one exception. Sheila was looking at Diana with a thoughtful expression across her face. Hank noticed, and he got the impression that the Thief may well have a very good idea about what their friend might have been shown. He would have to ask her about that later, but there was no point dwelling on it for now.

He changed the subject slightly by asking Jayan to tell them all how he had first found the crystal. The little boy loved being the centre of attention, and began by describing how he had had to fight a ferocious dragon to retrieve it. His embellishments earned him stern looks from both his parents and he then stuck to the truth and it soon became clear that he had simply found it lying around.

The Ranger found that to be very odd, as Karleena had already told them that she and Kenton had spent nearly five years searching for the stone. Even though Letion Plains covered a large area, it seemed unlikely that they would not have checked somewhere so close to their home, especially as it was their son's favourite spot to play. Yet it seemed like the crystal had just appeared, for no apparent reason, and they would probably never know how or why.

They then began discussing what had happened once Venger had shown up. He had materialised in the courtyard just as Kenton and Jayan were emerging from the stables, and Jayan, in his typical confident manor, had approached the wizard demanding to know who he was.

Karleena groaned when she heard this.

"His no fear attitude is going to land him in serious trouble some day," she said to her husband.

"I'll talk to him," he assured her.

They then moved on to speculate about what Venger had seen when he had touched Deona's crystal.

The Ranger sat quietly, only half listening to the various theories being put forward. He couldn't think about Venger right now without getting angry. Thanks to him, the crystal had been destroyed, but it was not that point bothering him. It was the trap that the wizard had set for them to prevent them from reaching Letion in the first place. They had lost another chance to get home, but he had come so close to losing something far more precious.

He turned to look at the girl beside him to find her gazing intently at him.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked him.

"You," he replied.

She smiled and he kissed her forehead. The pair then sat quietly for a few minutes, ignoring the ongoing debate about Venger, just enjoying the moment.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the Barbarian, who suddenly shouted out very loudly.

"I still say he just saw himself as ruler and chief of the Realm."

"Bobby, calm down," his sister said sternly.

"Well, what do you think then?" he asked, in a slightly quieter voice.

Kenton spoke up with a suggestion of his own.

"I think it was something quite different," he stated. "He destroyed the stone, so whatever it was, he didn't like it."

Bobby looked like he was about to argue, but then apparently changed his mind as there really was no logical alternative. Kenton looked at Karleena, seeking confirmation regarding his idea. She smiled in agreement and then described the brief connection that she had experienced when Venger had held the gem. Upon learning that the emotion had been one of overwhelming regret everyone was confused. Karleena had no theories to offer them and none of them could think of anything that could have caused such an intense feeling in Venger.

"Urgh!"

The cry from the Barbarian startled them and they were all instantly on the alert. This was followed almost immediately by a bleat from Uni as she jumped up from where she had been lying. Bobby was now looking skywards and they all followed suit and saw that dark clouds had formed overhead while they had been talking. Bobby had merely shouted out in surprise at feeling the first drop of rain hit his arm and the unicorn had reacted similarly when a second drop had landed on her nose.

It was quickly agreed that they should head back indoors, so they all got to their feet and for the most part moved hastily in the direction of the farmhouse. Eric, Jayan, Bobby and Uni took the lead followed closely by the Magician and Kenton. Hank and Sheila followed lazily behind, leaving Karleena and Diana to bring up the rear.

Hank deliberately set a slow pace as he walked arm in arm with the Thief towards the house. The danger was over, for now anyway, and he wanted to make the most of it. He had waited so long to let her know just how much she meant to him, so long to kiss her, and now he was determined to get her all to himself for a while, just the two of them, without any interruptions.

As they entered the courtyard the Acrobat and Karleena overtook them. As they passed, Diana turned her head and caught Hank's eye and he knew immediately that she had guessed that he was planning a disappearing act of his own.

"See you later," she mouthed and then grinned at him.

He smiled back at his friend and she carried on in the direction she had been heading. Hank stopped walking and Sheila turned to face him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said softly.

He was holding her arm gently and she was gazing at him quizzically.

"We have some unfinished business remember?" he continued playfully.

The Thief's eyes sparkled as she smiled and he traced his fingers slowly down her arm to take her hand in his. He then led her in the opposite direction, away from the house and around the corner of one of the farm's outbuildings.

As soon as they were out of sight, he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. He kissed her slowly, savouring the moment, her scent, the sweet taste of her lips and the way she responded to him, pressing her body tightly against his and circling him with her arms. Their kisses became increasing passionate and his whole body was tingling. No one had ever affected him like this before. She made him feel so alive. The girl of his dreams loved him and she was here in his arms right now kissing him, fuelling his desire.

The warm rain was beginning to fall faster now. Hank could feel it landing on his head and running down the back of his neck, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that he was with Sheila, and he was not going to let a little bit of water come between them. She was clinging to him desperately and he could feel her hair was getting wet as he ran his fingers through it. She seems equally unconcerned about the weather and continued kissing him eagerly.

The light shower quickly became a downpour, and they were soon both soaked to the skin. Hank needed air and he reluctantly pulled back from the Thief. They were both panting slightly, and he watched the drops of water running down her face and neck and continued following them as they rolled down further. Her wet dress was sticking to her and he could see the shape of her body beneath it and he quickly forced himself to look back at her face.

He saw her shake her head as she tried to get a few strands of wet hair out of her eyes.

"We need to find some shelter," he said.

She nodded in agreement and he looked around through the rain searching for somewhere they could go. He spotted the large barn where they had been before Venger had arrived unexpectedly and with his arms still around her he staggered backwards, making her laugh until they reached the door. He opened it and pulled her inside and then closed the door firmly behind them.

--X--

Two figures were perched on the lower branches of a large tree beside the stables. They had not been noticed by anyone below, which was as it was meant to be and the leafy canopy above them offered ample shelter from the rain. The first was a woman of indeterminate age, wearing a midnight blue dress, which complemented her sapphire blue eyes and long dark hair perfectly. Beside her sat a short, white haired old man with large pale blue eyes in red robes.

The woman turned to her companion.

"Your pupils are still trapped here," she remarked.

"All in good time," the man replied cryptically.

"They do not seem upset by their failure to find their way home," she added.

"They have learnt that some things are more important," he stated.

She considered this for a moment and then nodded in agreement. After a second pause, she spoke again.

"I never intended to cause so much suffering."

"Words spoken in haste are often regretted," he replied.

Deona acknowledged the truth of these words by bowing her head.

"By cursing the crystal when it was lost I ended up torturing my descendants for generations," she said sadly.

"A mistake you corrected when you placed the stone where it would be found by the child," he commented.

"You knew about that?" she asked in amazement.

He remained silent, but there was a kindly twinkle in his eyes.

"They are free?" she queried.

The wizard waited a moment before responding.

"Yes my friend, it is finally over."

She smiled warmly and felt a peace that she had not known for over a century.

The two figures said no more and gradually faded away until the tree was empty once more.

--X--

THE END

--X--

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, and for all the helpful comments and suggestions.  
Also, a special note of thanks for all the support I received from Sealgirl, Kimmy Kenderkin and Rana Kane.


End file.
